Fire and Ice
by BookBluff
Summary: Fire, heat, passion. Ice, cold, calculating. When two such opposites are thrown together, again and again, just what kind of response will happen? Rated M for later chapters.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Well, I think you should know that I don't own Harry Potter. You'd probably be damaged in the brain to believe that I own Harry Potter (No offence to anyone who is damaged in the brain, OR anyone who believes that I own Harry Potter. In any case, I don't own Harry Potter, or most of the characters you'll meet in this story, BUT I do own the plot. Well, the PLOT. It's loosely based off of a poem, Fire and Ice, by Robert Frost. So, for those of you who have never read or even heard of the poem, here it is.

_Some say the world will end in fire,_

_Some say in ice._

_From what I've tasted of desire_

_I hold with those who favor fire._

_But if it had to perish twice,_

_I think I know enough of hate_

_To say that for destruction ice_

_Is also great_

_And would suffice._

**A/N: **I know, I know, it's not much of a chapter, or even a prologue, but there you go. First chapter should be uploaded simultaneously.


	2. Going Back To Hogwarts

**Fire**

I grumbled softly to myself as I rolled out of bed. I'd been having the most interesting dream, but since my alarm sounded I was already losing it. All I could remember was a feeling of floating through air, with a sense of perfection, and an overwhelming feeling of being accepted, of being loved. Not only was it the best dream I had had in ages, it was the only one that didn't cause me to wake up sweating and biting my lip to keep from screaming.

But instead of remembering it, I got dressed and dragged myself downstairs for breakfast.

As always, there was a giant pile of bacon, eggs, sausages, pancakes, muffins, and almost everything you could ever want from a hot breakfast on the table. There was no such thing as cereal at the Burrow.

"Everything packed?" Mum asked as I picked up an apple and cinnamon muffin and took a bite of the delicious warm and gooey treat. I nodded. "School books? Spare socks? Potion supplies? _Tampons?_" I rolled my eyes and nodded again.

Ron was the next one down. Figured he wouldn't miss out on breakfast. I must admit, sometimes, that brother of mine is an absolute pig. Here he is now, shoving sausage after sausage into his mouth, barely chewing before swallowing, pausing only to gulp down some pumpkin juice.

Mum made the best pumpkin juice. Even better than what we get at Hogwarts. I may not be a giant fan of pumpkin juice, but she uses cinnamon, ginger, and other spices. It's sweet, and tangy, and tastes absolutely delicious.

But I preferred her apple cider, when she let us have it. Hermione was the next down, rolling her eyes at me when she saw Ron's attempt to eat everything on the table.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked as she buttered some toast to go with her plate of bacon and eggs.

Ron shrugged.

"Wsthft thr hnwk up." He said.

"Ronald, don't speak with your mouth full." Mum chastised as she topped up his pumpkin juice. "You both packed?" She asked. Ron nodded as he swallowed, and Hermione mumbled "yes".

"Good. The ministry cars should be here in an hour." She said before wandering off.

"What were you saying Ronald?" Hermione asked when Mum was gone. Ron made a point of chewing and swallowing the sausage in his mouth.

"I don't know. He wasn't there when I woke up." He said, before shoving even more food into his mouth.

"Charming." Hermione rolled his eyes.

"I'll go find him." I said. I had finished my muffin, anyway, and wasn't really feeling like more. I knew mum was worried, and thought I wasn't eating enough, but I couldn't, and definitely not for breakfast. As delicious as it was, the muffin had been difficult to swallow. It's not that I wanted to lose weight. I certainly didn't need to. I wasn't skin and bone, but I was close. I had almost no breasts, unlike Hermione, and even Harry and Ron, as skinny as they were, were larger than me. Harry had some muscles, from being a seeker, though he certainly wasn't a body builder. Ron had a few muscles, as well, from being a keeper. And I will never know how such a skinny boy can shove that much food in his mouth and still go back for thirds, and sometimes even fourths.

I found Harry in the first place I looked. He was standing out in the chicken pen, the five hens clucking around him like... Well, like hens.

"Hey." I said, opening the gate to the pen and stepping in with him, sitting down on the top of one of the boxes.

"Hey." He replied. He was leaning against the pen. "Am I missed, much?"

"Just a little." I said, smiling slightly. "Hermione was asking for you."

"Right." He nodded. "Better go in for breakfast then. Thanks." He turned and left, leaving me alone in the chicken pen. I sighed and nudged a rock with my toe, before standing up, and leaving the pen, closing the gate behind me.

Rather than heading in to catch the end of breakfast, I went upstairs and grabbed my trunk before dragging it downstairs.

I was first in the car. Hermione, Ron, and Harry all slid in next to me, and the ministry driver drove off.

"How's Pig doing with that murderous cat?" Ron asked, trying to turn around so he could see the back seat, where our pets are.

"Crookshanks is _not_ a murderous cat, Ronald." Hermione said, her voice low. Ron seemed to accept this, sitting still, his face turning red, and looking anywhere but at Hermione.

I got Arnold out from his cage as soon as we were on the train, and he chittered to himself as he ran up my arm to nestle into the hair at my neck.

"He's so cute." Hermione said, giving him a hesitant pat, and grinning at me before leaving the compartment we had found with Ron to go to the prefects meeting.

"Aren't you supposed to go with them?" Harry asked after I'd been sitting staring out of the window for almost ten minutes.

"Right!" I'd completely forgotten about the prefects badge I had, pinned to my chest.

I jumped up and hurried to the front of the train, thankful that it wasn't eleven yet.

"I wouldn't rush, if I were you, Weaselette. It's a wonder they let filth like you be a prefect to begin with." I heard the cold voice before I saw the source, and my eyes narrowed as I looked at Draco Malfoy, blocking my path to the front of the train.

"At least my father didn't have to pay the school to give me a position of authority." I said, my fingers twitching as I itched to grab my wand and curse him.

"At least my father has money." He said, smirking. I couldn't help it. It was stupid of me, I know, but I grabbed my wand, and I jinxed him.

There was a satisfying feeling deep in my stomach as he was attacked by his snot, which had grown wings and flew out of his nostrils.

He stumbled backwards, swatting at his face, trying to swat away the boogers. I couldn't help but grin, until a large shadow loomed over me.

"Weasel, right?" I spun around, my eyes wide, as I took in the rather rotund man, who could only be the new professor.

"Weasley." I corrected him.

"Right. Weasley. That was some mighty fine spellwork, there. Would you like to come back to my compartment?"

"I can't, uhhh, Professor, I have to go to the prefects meeting." I said.

"Right, of course. Well, come along after that." He said. "I'm Professor Slughorn, by the way."

"Ginny Weasley." I said, before hurrying on, my heart pounding in my chest, glad that I wasn't in any trouble.

**A/N:** Well, first chapter. Depending on what mood I'm in, there may even be another chapter added tomorrow, or even tonight. Please review, I love reviews. ^^


	3. On The Train

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Ice:**

I sat in the prefect compartment, considering what to do with the Weaselette brat. Too many times she had attacked me, now. If it wasn't the bat bogey hex - well, she was good with her spells, and I've felt the impact of most of them. All the attack ones, anyway.

If it weren't for that stupid Potter, teaching all those idiots defensive spells last year, she probably wouldn't be quite as proficient as she was with her attacks. At least Voldemort has started attacking them back.

Even if the Weasel family weren't the perfect targets, their daughter would be. After his return in my fourth year, he asked me how I thought he could hit Potter hard. My first thought had been the Weaselette brat.

Thinking on it now, I smirked as I listened to the Head Boy and Girl prattle on about all the rules. Blah blah blah. Heard it all before.

"How so?" Voldemort had asked, leaning forward, his serpentine eyes fixed on mine. At fourteen years old, I was intimidated by his form. All I could think of was all the tales that I had heard on entering Hogwarts. Mother and Father had raised me a true Slytherin, and a future Death Eater. I had only ever heard the best of the Dark Lord. But even the sweetest tale of the man sitting before me then wasn't enough to help me forget the tales of the torture he committed. I may have not been a huge fan of muggles, or mudbloods, but when it came to getting my hands dirty, or killing people, a lot of the time I didn't see the point. Especially not torturing people before killing them, like he did.

Just look at that Bottom idiot's parents. Longbottom, or whatever. His parents were supposed to die, but didn't, because people were too busy torturing them. Idiots.

"Well, she's a huge fan of Potter." I said. I must admit that there were more reasons than just getting back at Potter that made me want to torture her. "We all know Potter has his saving people, nobility thing. Not to mention she's the sister of his best friend, and given that the Weasleys have all but adopted him, I'm sure he almost feels as if she's a sister."

"And how would torturing her affect him?"

"For one, he'd be too busy worrying about her to think much about fighting back at you through the year. And if you offer him her freedom, in exchange for his life, well, given that he almost sacrificed his life at the bottom of the lake for that french brat..."

Voldemort had leaned back, and thought on it. Before nodding.

"You're right. She's the perfect target." He had said. "And the preparations have already been laid." He had smiled at that, which had creeped me out all the more.

But now, that's behind me. I shifted impatiently on my seat, wishing that Pansy weren't leaning on me quite so hard. Pansy may be good in bed, but apart from that she's useless. There are times when I wish I could just dump her, but then I would have to teach another girl what I like, and it would all get too bothersome. If she would just stop clinging to me and acting like I was her boyfriend, it would be the perfect relationship.

When we got our times for patrolling, we left. Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise were lounging about in the compartment when I reached it.

"Hey, Draco, I gotta go, mate, would stay but Slughorn wants me." I scowled, but nodded as Blaise left. I may have been swatting bogey-bats away from my face at the time, but I had heard the new Professor telling Weaselette that her _attacking_ me had been good spell work.

Thinking about Voldemort, made me wonder again, just what it was that he was doing to her. He had started work on it at the beginning of this Summer, he said, but given that she had attacked me only half an hour before, I couldn't really see that it had done much good. Or damage. Or harm. Or... well... Whatever.

"Hey, you two, go guard the door." Pansy said, flicking her wrist towards the compartment door. Crabbe and Goyle rolled their eyes and stayed put. Pansy scowled when they didn't do as she commanded, before turning a pouty look towards me. It would have been so much more affective if she hadn't looked like a pug, with her squashed up face. But because I knew what she wanted, I nodded, and Crabbe and Goyle left.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Pansy turned towards me, and smiled seductively. Or about as seductively as a pug can smile. She moved back, and dropped to her knees before me as I opened my legs. I may not have been in the best mood for this right now, but it was better than thinking about Weaselette for the whole train ride.

When she was done, she swallowed my load, and knocked twice on the compartment door, a signal that Crabbe and Goyle could come back in now.

The lunch trolley came past before the door had closed again, and I grabbed some sweets. I had every chocolate frog card there was, but the chocolate was delicious. I wasn't willing to try any of the every flavoured beans, but I grabbed a couple of sugar quills, a pumpkin pasty, and a licorice wand. Crabbe and Goyle weren't nearly so picky. As always they bought out the cart between them. When the trolley moved on, they started attacking their sweets, as I lay down on my seat, resting my head in Pansy's lap for the convenience.

Blaise came in about an hour later, looking rather moodier than usual. He sat down by my feet. Goyle had a bit of trouble getting the door shut, and I could have sworn I saw a foot appear and disappear by the luggage rack. Hmmm... Seemed like we had a spy.

I dealt with Potter after the others had left. The sound of his nose breaking beneath my heel was satisfying, to say the least.

Too bad he arrived at the feast, a little late, with his nose fixed. At least there was blood still all over his face.

Dumbledore's speech, blah blah blah. Finally we were free, and I went straight to my dormitory. No Malfoy shares a room with anyone, even Mother and Father didn't sleep in the same room. So, of course, coming to Hogwarts, Father had tipped a few coins in the right hands, and I was given my own room. Pansy came into my room with me, and I used her body before sending her to her own dormitory. She pouted, as she always did, but I ignored her. I didn't care about her. She was only there for when I needed release, and after tonight she would only enter my room when _I_ wanted her to. Of course, her body and, earlier, mouth, did provide a good distraction from Weaselette.

But now, lying back in my king sized four poster bed, the cool silk smooth and soft against my skin, I couldn't help but wonder what it was exactly that Voldemort was doing to hurt her. I guess she looked a bit smaller than usual. Not that she was ever a large girl. And it was hard to tell under the giant robes of her brothers. But that could have easily been because she had shot up about a foot over the Summer.

No, I really shouldn't spend too much time thinking about it. Whatever it was, Voldemort's plan would no doubt work out in the end. And my worrying about it wouldn't do anything.

Still, I couldn't keep my thoughts from her as I fell asleep. She had seemed rather skinny, and maybe paler than usual. Her hair, usually vivid and hard to look at for long had been hanging lank around her shoulders, as if she hadn't bothered spelling it to look nice. Her freckles had stood stark against her skin, and her soft brown eyes had looked sunken. If anything, she looked... Well, apart from under-fed and suddenly taller, she looked tired.

**A/N:** Depending on my mood when I've finished reading a book that I'm going to finish when I've posted this up, I may write the next chapter. Otherwise, well, it probably won't be up over the weekend, or tomorrow. So, maybe Monday or Tuesday. Oh, and...

**_REVIEW!_** Please. I love reviews. They make me want to write.


	4. Strawberry, Milk, and Refreshing

**Fire**

I woke up sweating, and clawed myself out of my blankets. My breath came hard and fast as I stared at the ceiling above me, trying to forget my dream.

Unlike yesterday, when I had woken from a sweet dream, today my dream was back to what I had been experiencing over the summer. My body felt hot, and I reached past my curtains for my wand, on my dresser, before conjuring a small breeze in an attempt to cool myself down.

But try as I might, my mind still focused on the dream. I remembered the cold gaze, the flash of green, and worse, the cool hard ground, solid underneath me, the flowing of water nearby, and the slithering of a giant serpent.

Of course, someone who had experienced what I had, in my first year, here at Hogwarts, would have nightmares of it ever since. Of course I would wake up in a sweat as I remembered the cold, sticky feeling of blood on my fingers as I was forced, by _him_ to write those threatening messages on the walls. Of course I would cringe whenever I heard the slithering sound that reminded me of the dreadful Basilisk, which for a few brief moments I had simultaneously controlled, and been controlled by.

But it had been getting worse.

When I first returned to the Burrow this summer, I hadn't been surprised when I'd woken up in a sweat the next day, biting my lip to keep from screaming, before hugging my pillow close to myself, in an attempt to quiet the beating of my heart. But when it didn't stop, that did surprise me.

And it seemed to be getting even worse.

It had been getting better. I'd been going from nightly dreams, to weekly, and slowly to monthly. Only last Summer I had been confronted by a boggart, and hadn't had it turn into a snake. To be fair, it turned into _him_ and I had frozen in fear when his red eyes had met mine. But I hadn't been killed when I met the cold eyes of the basilisk.

So when I had woken up the next day in a sweat, I had started to worry about what was bringing it back. I began spending my nights flying. No one had an idea. I would keep myself awake until my spells revealed that everyone was asleep, then I would sneak outside to the broom cupboard, and take Harry's firebolt out.

I felt comfortable when I was in the air, but that wasn't the only reason I went flying. I also went flying because I knew that the brisk air would help keep me awake, no matter how tired I was.

I had set my alarm time earlier, and earlier as well. When I had finally gotten into bed last night, I was so exhausted from a summer of barely sleeping, that to my detriment I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. And now as I slipped out of bed, I realised that my habits had helped me, somewhat. I was awake before anyone else, and as I glanced out of the window near my bed I could see it was still dark. Looking at my watch, my eyes widened as I read that it was midnight. There was no way I could go back to sleep tonight, though. Knowing that _he_ would be there, waiting for me, as soon as I closed my eyes...

Instead I changed into my robes and slipped down the stairs. I thought for a moment, about going up to the boys sixth year dormitory, and finding the marauders map in Harry's belongings, to make sure I had a clear path to the nearest girls bathroom. But thinking on that reminded me that I was a prefect. The badge glinted dully in the dying light of the fire, and I tried to recall the password to the prefects bathroom as I slipped out of the Gryffindor Common room, glad that the Fat Lady was asleep, and unaware that there was a student, even a prefect, out of bed after hours.

Despite myself, I crept, all the way to the prefects bathroom on the fifth floor, before whispering the password to Boris the Bewildered (Lemon twist).

I was stunned when I entered the bathroom. It was so luxurious. I tapped my wand on some of the knobs, finding out what they were. There were taps for different scents, as well as for different feelings, and for different lifts. There were about ten of each. I turned on a milk tap, which made the water milky, a wonderful feeling in a bath, Hermione told me last year, as well as a strawberry one, and one to help you feel refreshed. While the taps poured together, I slipped out of my robes.

The taps turned off as soon as the swimming pool sized bath tub was filled, and I slipped in.

The effect was immediate. As soon as my toes touched the water, I began to feel refreshed, as if I had just woken up from the best sleep of my life.

I started to do laps, in the milky water. I felt like I could do laps forever, if I wanted to, but after a few, I'll admit I grew somewhat lazy, and decided instead to just sit, and soak.

The milky feeling of the water against my skin was wonderful. I didn't have many baths, and certainly none with milk, but it felt really nice. I leaned against the wall, as I sat in a seat that felt like it was perfectly designed for me, and rested my head on a little pillow that was waiting for it.

I don't know how it happened, but despite the refreshing feeling of having just woken up from the best sleep ever, my eyes closed, and I began to drift off. I think I could probably attribute it to the softly snoring sound of the mermaid, who was sleeping on her rock.

Naturally, when a hand grabbed my shoulder, I jumped awake, thrashing in the milky water, struggling to remember what was happening. I hadn't dreamt, which I was thankful of, but now that I was awake again I had no idea of the time.

Of course, I was too worried about thinking that maybe I was late for class, that I completely forgot what had woken me up.

"Are you too poor to afford a bed in your dormitory, or is it just not as comfortable as sleeping in the prefects bathroom?" Malfoy's cold voice scoffed behind me. I froze as I turned around, glad that the milky water offered my naked body some protection.

"None of your business, _ferret._" I said, glaring at him, and wishing that my wand weren't too far for me to reach.

"Oh, well if that's the case then, I guess I'd better get comfortable so you can go back to sleeping." He sat down on the large couch that the prefects bathroom offered, and kept his cold, grey gaze on me.

"Malfoy, get out of here." I said, my voice low, and (I hope, at least) threatening.

"Oh? And what if I don't? Are you going to dream me away? Or splash some water on me?" He laughed, and I frowned. But he was right. There was nothing I could do. At least not with my body naked under the milky water.

I somehow managed to sit back down, keeping my eyes on him. He had to look away eventually. If he could do it for just long enough for me to reach my wand, or for just long enough for me to grab a towel, I'd be set.

"The water does look nice." He said after a while. "And the bath _is_ large enough so that I _could_ join you." He paused for a moment, as if contemplating it. "But that would involve sharing something with a filthy Weaselette. I'll just wait. We've got a few hours before anyone will start serving breakfast, and, after all, how long can it take you to have a bath?" He smirked, as if he'd just said something funny, but his eyes remained on me the entire time. Despite the warmth of the water, I shivered.

The time dragged on, and he barely seemed to blink, his gaze on me the entire time. I was sure that I flushed, but was desperate to out wait him. He would leave, eventually. Or look away. All I needed was a few seconds.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want me to leave?" Draco said after what felt like an hour. He glanced quickly towards the door, as if pondering it, but it was enough. The towel was closest, so I leaned out and grabbed that, dragging it towards the water as I slipped back in before Draco managed to look back at me. He frowned slightly, as if disappointed that he didn't get to see anything as I used the towel to get out of the water without showing him anything.

I grabbed my wand, and sent his bogeys attacking his face again in moments. I was slightly surprised when he didn't stop them, before realising that he mustn't have brought his wand.

He ran out of the bathroom, and I quickly dried myself and got dressed, before emptying the bath tub, and leaving the room.

**A/N:** Yay, I got a review ^^ Remember, the more reviews I get, the more I write. (I wouldn't have written this chapter today at all if I hadn't have received that review)


	5. Inquisitorial Blunder

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Ice:**

I sighed as I stared at my breakfast. It wasn't exactly appetizing. Some greasy bacon and hard boiled eggs, on cold toast with margarine. That's what happens when I let Pansy make breakfast for me. But nonetheless, I ate it. It tasted horrible, but it was food. And I was dreading the news to come when Snape started handing out our timetables.

"You are to see the Headmaster in his office, right away." He said.

I nodded, looking anywhere but at his dark eyes. I had known this was coming since I had received my OWL results, along with a letter explaining that I would have to discuss my options with Dumbledore.

I knew my options weren't good. I would either have to repeat fifth year, or only do a few subjects in my sixth.

And there was no way I was going to repeat my fifth year.

"Grape Clouds." I said as I reached the stone gargoyle.

"Yes, sir!" It mocked, leaping out of my way to let me in. I glared at it. I was _not_ in the mood. Realising that I couldn't win a glaring match with a stone gargoyle, I stepped onto the spiral staircase, and, when I reached the top, into Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, Draco, most excellent. I was hoping to speak to you first..." He said, pushing some paperwork away from in front of him, with his good hand, and gesturing for me to sit with his right one.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" I asked, knowing that this meeting was going to decide my future here at Hogwarts. Not that I was a giant fan of the school, but if I can't do the subjects I want, I won't be able to do what I want to do.

"You are aware, Draco, that to continue as a healer, you need to take potions, charms, transfigurations, care of magical creatures, ancient runes, defense against the dark arts, herbology, astronomy, and history of magic into your sixth and seventh years of education here." I nodded. I had studied all of those classes in my third through fifth year. Most of them from my first year through to my fifth year. "And you are aware, also, that with your OWL results, you can only enter in ancient runes, charms, and herbology?" I nodded again.

To be entirely fair, there had been a lot of distractions. The main one, of course, being the constant attacks from Weaselette. Then there was everything that was happening with Voldemort, at the time. Not to mention being in the inquisitorial squad. I studied, but when it came to the tests... I just blanked.

"Now, usually, I would suggest that you repeat your fifth year. However, I have a peculiar situation on my hands." He paused, and I waited to see what he was going to say next. That might mean I would be able to continue into my sixth year. Which would be wonderful news. It would mean, for one, that I won't have to suffer through the humiliation of repeating my fifth year. But, more importantly, I won't have to tell my parents that I failed my OWLs. No one would know. I wouldn't be punished for it.

"There is a student entering their fifth year here, and they show fantastic promise in their education. This student excelled in all of their tests last year, despite trying circumstances, and, most importantly, they wish to follow the same career path as yourself. Now, with a situation like this, I have decided on something to help the both of you out.

"I know that you aren't stupid, Draco. The tests were trying, for you, and it's a wonder that you did as well as you did. Given that you know what you need to know to continue into your sixth year, and this other student has the talent they need to have to continue into their sixth year, already, I have come up with a compromise. The both of you will start your sixth years together, starting tomorrow. You will help this student catch up, and they will help you as well. Now, given that the two of you will be in such a unique situation, there will, of course, be a lot of extra time for you to both put in, and, the success of this will be determined by the both of you. Should you fail any tests, or should they, the deal will be broken, and you will both return to your fifth year classes."

The deal sounded too good to be true. I didn't care who it was, even if it were Looney Lovegood. I would do it. It would be easy. I got Crabbe and Goyle passing grades, after all.

Of course, that's when I realised that it _was _ too good to be true.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" Weaselette walked in, clutching her too-short, overly large school robes about her.

"Yes, Ginevra, please sit down. I was just letting Draco here know of an arrangement I have set up for the two of you." I saw her instantly go on guard. She sat down as far away from me as she could.

Then, Dumbledore re-explained the situation. I wasn't sure what I wanted now. Part of me was willing to accept any punishment, as long as I wouldn't have to spend any time with _her._ Hell, part of me was willing to go through the occasional class with her, just so I wouldn't have to see her constantly. But at the same time, there was another part of me that was desperate to continue on with my sixth year. I could do this. I know I could. If it were anyone else...

I saw her go pale when she realised that not only would we be in the same year, we would be in all of the same classes. And then she turned green when she realised that we would have to spend extra time on top of those classes together, for catch up, and to keep both of our grades up.

"But, of course, since this bargain involves the two of you, it's ultimately up to you to decide. Should either of you prefer to return to your fifth year, you both shall, and that will be the last said of the matter."

In the end, the war inside of me burst out of my lips with the winning argument...

"I want to do it." I said. I was surprised. Until I said it, I didn't know what was going to come out of my mouth. But I certainly hadn't been expecting that. I guess it must have been my overwhelming desire to get this over and done with, and to avoid the conflict that repeating my fifth year would cause at home.

"And you, Ginevra?" Dumbledore's blue eyes looked directly into her brown ones for a moment, but I knew she was looking at me. I knew, because I was looking right back at her. My grey eyes stared into hers, and part of me hoped that she would turn it down, just so I wouldn't have to spend so much time with her. She looked at me, as if trying to find an ulterior motive to agreeing to do it. She was clearly more shocked than I was by my outburst.

"I'll do it." She said, finally, her voice weak.

"Wonderful." Something about the way Dumbledore smiled told me that he had known we were going to both agree to do it, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I accepted the timetable he handed me, before leaving.

"Hey! Weaselette!" I shouted, realising that she was running off. She spun around, her dark eyes furious at what I had called her.

"What, ferret?" She demanded, clearly irritated. It was close to lunch time, but most students at the moment were in class, leaving us alone in the hallway.

"Why did you agree to do it?" I asked.

"Because this will help me be a healer faster." She said, before turning around and walking off. I wasn't sure what it was about her, but I had the strangest feeling that she was lying.

Shrugging it off, I went to lunch. Thankfully, getting there before Pansy meant that I could grab my own plate of lunch without upsetting her. My selection of sandwiches were delicious, and when I finished them I glanced up at the Gryffindor table, my eyes falling on where the trio always sat.

And there they sat. Longbottom with them. And a few of their other usual followers. But no Weaselette in sight. I frowned at this, but let it go. She was probably too busy studying up on hexes to put me through.

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed ^^ Big thank you to my reviewers. This was originally supposed to be posted last week, (and was entirely different, though with the same result). However, silly me, I hit save, but forgot that I had had the window open for a few days. So, of course, it told me to log back in. And I'd completely forgotten to copy the text, like I usually do.

If you're wondering why I don't just write it in word... Well, it's partly because I'm weird, and also partly because I don't currently have word on my laptop. _ In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, next chapter should be up soon. I'm babysitting for a few days next week, so that will mean I'll get lots of time to write ^^


	6. Dream Bruises

**Fire**

_I crept down the hallway, my heart was thudding in my chest, and I felt sure that he could hear me. My footsteps were silent, and I wasn't even breathing, but there was no way that anyone could be deaf to the large drumming of my heart at this moment._

_I don't know what is before me, only what is behind. I can't go back there. There lies pain. Mental anguish. Fears. I can't go back there._

_But I know that going forward won't be easy, either. Is anything, any more? Perhaps, but not for me, it would seem._

_He finds me. It was inevitable from the beginning. With my heart threatening to escape my ribcage, I knew he would find me. That's how this always goes._

_He reaches to grab my hands, but just looking into his eyes I freeze. His eyes tell me everything that I knew they would. They give me the promise of everything I could ever desire. When I look into his eyes, I want to do what he asks. Then I blink and it's over. He has me pinned to the wall, and I don't remember how. I'm breathing again now, though you wouldn't be able to tell. My breath is coming in and going out so fast I'm barely getting any oxygen to my brain._

_"Did you really think you could ever forget me?" He asked, leaning in, his face inches from my own. His breath stale in my nostrils. "Did you really think you could ever escape me?" He pushed his body roughly against mine, but I was still. There was nothing I could do. I was useless. Hopeless. Helpless. Defenseless. I was his pray._

_He realised what I did, at the same time, and pulled back with a smile. "Yes, you won't ever escape me." He said. _

I woke up to my cheek stinging. For a moment I'm sure someone slapped me. My dream is fuzzy, feelings more than memories. I can really only remember feeling terrified. And feeling helpless. Recalling the feelings, I shuddered. Even in dreams, these feelings weren't pleasant ones.

As with yesterday, I was up several hours too early. But looking around, I was the only one awake. I frowned. I was sure someone had slapped me.

Sighing, I got dressed, and decided to try the bath again. I had somehow managed to drift off for some sleep there yesterday, and it had certainly helped me to cope with the fact that I was now going to be a sixth year.

I'd told Hermione first. She was my best friend, after all. And since I was being moved up to the sixth year dormitory, of course she would know. Of course, that didn't mean she was happy about it.

As a matter of fact, her jaw dropped when I told her, and then she simply walked off. She hadn't said a word to me since, but then, I'd say it's probably only been a few hours. Ron and Harry didn't know yet. At least, I hadn't told them. For all I know, Hermione told them after she started not talking to me. But I guess I won't know until later today.

The bath was warm and relaxing, and before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep again. This time, though, my dreams followed me.

_"You will never be able to escape." He said, as he took hold of my wrist. "But if you join me, the pain will go away." My skin burned where he touched me, and my cheek throbbed, reminding me of him slapping me earlier._

_"Join me." He said. His voice was persuading. I would be without the pain. Without the fear. Oh how I longed to be without the fear. I could put up with the pain, if only the fear were gone. I was a Weasley, after all. I grew up with six older brothers, who weren't that great at putting things away. So naturally I've been hurt before. I've broken bones, and even lost a few when Bill was studying to be a healer. Of course, he had failed miserably, and taken up being a curse cracker at Gringotts instead. And then he left curses around which I inevitably found._

_Pain I could live with. But the fear. It grew in me, until I almost stepped toward him. But then everything flashed white, and I stepped away, pulling my wrist away. I could still fight back. I had to fight back._

_And then I was running again. My legs flying, I didn't look back. I turned down hallway after hallway, and before long I was lost. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath coming in short gasps, I paused, in an attempt to get my breath back._

_Silence was around me, and I couldn't see him anywhere. Maybe this time the force that was trying to rescue me had succeeded._

I sat up with a jerk, my heart thudding, and coughing up water. I had sunk down in the bath tub, and started breathing water instead of air. I took a deep breath now of air, and looked up at my rescuer.

Of course. The amazing flying ferret had come to bug my bath time again. He looked concerned, though, rather than his usual snobby self. I realised suddenly that I was out of the water, and reached for something to cover my body up, to realise that I was already wrapped in a towel.

"You could say thanks, you know." He said, after several minutes of silence. I had sat up in this time, and gradually calmed down.

"What?" I asked. My thoughts had inevitably returned to my dreams, and I shuddered. Maybe I shouldn't try sleeping in the bath again if I was going to drown.

"I probably just saved your life there, Weaselette. You could say thanks."

"Thanks, Ferret." I said, glaring at him. He would make the nicest thing he'd done something selfish.

"Are you okay?" This question startled me. Why was he asking me? I just nodded, and reached towards my wand, planning to dry my hair. He saw the movement towards the wand and held up his hands. "Okay, okay, I'm going, I'm going."

I almost told him to relax, that I wasn't going to curse him. Just yet, anyway. Instead I let him leave. I dried off my hair, and got dressed, before heading back up to my new dormitory. I'll stick with sleeping in a bed for a while now.

* * *

><p>I sat down in potions, not sure what to expect. As I'd thought, Hermione had told Ron and Harry about my being in sixth year. They were both in class with me. Though Merlin only knows how they both (especially Ron) managed to get a passing grade for potions. But then, apparently, Slughorn had lowered his entrance grade to Exceeds Expectations. I still don't know how Ron exceeded expectations, unless he did it by somehow not blowing anything up.<p>

Or by showing up at all. I can't really imagine Ron sitting through an entire practical potions exam without blowing anything up.

I hadn't told Hermione about the other part of the deal. Only that I had been accelerated into my sixth year. She wasn't particularly surprised when Malfoy walked into the classroom, however. I guess she assumed that since he was a Slytherin, he was bound to want to study potions.

Of course, she was incredibly surprised when I moved from sitting next to Ron, to sitting next to him. Ron had, naturally, partnered himself with me when he'd seen me sitting by myself. Which had left Harry to partner himself with Hermione. There were a few other students in the class, but none really that I knew by name.

Ron had been shocked when I had moved away from him, and now just stared at me, his jaw dropped. "What are you sitting next to him for?" He demanded. I sighed. I should have known this was coming. Well, to be honest, I _had_ seen this coming, I just wish that I didn't have to deal with it quite so soon. As in right now.

But I had to.

"It's part of my being in my sixth year." I said. I almost added that it was because Draco had failed, but stopped. That was his secret, and I had no reason to be mean to him just now.

"Oh." Ron said, and although he didn't contest it, I could tell that he was furious. I could see the steam coming out of his ears. Harry looked let down, but he smiled at me anyway. Hermione just pouted, still upset that I'd been moved ahead a year when she hadn't.

I somehow lived through the day. Putting up with Draco's snide comments. I slapped him once during potions. He had read ahead, and almost added a shaved mandrake root _before_ I had had time to bring it to a boil, add the toadstools, and cool it down again. I had grabbed his hand right before the first shaving of root had fallen into the cauldron, and slapped him hard. If I hadn't have done that, the potion would have exploded in our face. Never add shaved mandrake root to a near boiling potion. It _will_ explode, and you will be hurt.

To be honest, I don't really know why Ron wasn't good at potions. We had both been mum's helpers, while the others were at school. We'd hand her the ingredients she wanted, and we'd read the recipes for her. Yet, I was a whiz when it came to potions, while Ron was... Well, rather lacking.

To be fair, Malfoy was good when it came to everything else. I just used my guesses to judge the heat of the flames, while Malfoy used magic to get it to just the right temperature. He measured out every ingredient exactly, while I just used my judgement. My judgement works, I've been helping mum cook and mix potions for long enough to be able to guess exact amounts every time. But Malfoy weighed everything up, and kept the flames at just the right temperature.

When it came to everything else though, he was jumbled.

In transfiguration, he transfigured a mouse into a candle, when we were supposed to be transfiguring them into a box of matches. My mouse turned into a box of matches, and I had done it silently, where he had to mutter it under his breath.

Finally, the day came to an end, and I went to the prefects bathroom. It didn't matter if I was out of bed after hours. Not that I was planning to be out for too long. But I decided to try to bathe before sleep this time. Maybe that would help.

I slipped into the hot water of the bath tub, and immediately relaxed. My skin tingled all over, from the contact of the honey scented milky water. The refreshing potion that poured out of the third section of taps was exactly what it promised to be. The moment my toes hit the water, followed by the rest of me, I began to feel more awake than I had in a while.

I swam laps, and this time, I didn't stop. I had to stay awake. As long as possible. Maybe I could go to sleep and be too exhausted to dream. Maybe.

I hadn't spoken to anyone at lunch. I hadn't even gone to the great hall. Hermione continued to ignore me in the classes we shared. Harry and Ron didn't talk to me much, but that was only to avoid talking to Malfoy.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't pleased to be sharing classes with Malfoy. And I was dreading our spare period tomorrow, where we would have to work together to catch each other up. Dumbledore had planned out most of our free time. For the rest of this year, as long as classes were in, Malfoy and I needed to keep our grades up, and our spare periods, as well as a lot of our after school hours, and even some of our weekends, were to be spent working on homework together, as well as him catching me up with what I haven't learnt, and me helping him out with things he was having trouble with.

Sighing, I finished up swimming after my ninety-seventh lap. I was too tired to make it a round hundred. Instead, I just swam to the edge of the pool, and closed my eyes for a moment. I knew I wouldn't sleep. Just close my eyes for a moment, cool down, then I would get out, dry off, get changed into my pyjamas, and go upstairs to my new dormitory.

_"You won't find escape in sleep." The voice was harsh, and jerked me awake. I was in my bed, but it wasn't my bed. Looking around, I realised that it was hard, with no real mattress, and there was only a threadbare blanket covering. I sat up, and found the source of the voice. He was there. It was always him. _

_"What do you mean?" I asked. My voice was soft. Weak. Broken. I reached to my bedside table, for my wand, but it wasn't there. There was no bedside table._

_"Sleeping, and dreaming, as you do, is your way of escaping this." He crawled onto my bed, and grabbed my wrists. I tried to struggle, but there was no leeway. My hands were locked together, above my head. I was helpless. _

_"I- I... This is the dream." I said. I was sure of it. This was the dream. That didn't make the dream any less frightening, of course. But I would wake up soon. Soon._

_"Ah, but would you feel this in a dream?" His free hand slapped my breast hard. I bit back a scream. I had to escape. He brought back his hand, and curled it into a fist, punching my breast this time. Before I knew it, he had released my hands, but all thoughts of escape had fled my mind, to be filled instead by trying to bear with the pain. It filled both my breasts now. He sat on my stomach, pinning me underneath him, as he punched and attacked my breasts. _

_He pulled away, finally, and pulled my top up, to examine the damage he'd done. My eyes were closed, and my lip bleeding slightly from biting it so hard. I opened my eyes quickly when he slapped my face._

_"Look at me, bitch." He growled. I looked up at him, and he smirked, his lipless mouth showing his teeth, thin and sharp. "Good. Now, let's see what I did." He reaches underneath me, and undoes my bra, taking it off and throwing it to the ground. My bra was the only thing I ever got first didn't mean it was pretty. It was just cheap. Plain and white._

_I followed his gaze down to my breasts, nervously. I knew he wanted me to look, but I was too scared to look. I didn't want to know what they were going to look like._

_"Ah, such good work." He said, and poked a finger hard into my right boob. Right in the middle of the biggest bruise. Not that all of the bruises weren't big. I don't have giant breasts, or anything, but they appeared swollen to a b cup at the moment, from the bruises. They were black and blue, and didn't look anything like the slight pale lumps I was used to seeing whenever I looked down there. _

I opened my eyes to see Malfoy standing over me. Why was he always standing over me. But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at my breasts. I felt a cool wind brush past them, and realised that this time I didn't have a towel carefully draped over me.

"Get away from me, pervert!" I cried out, sitting up and covering my breasts with my hand. I found that my waist down was covered with a towel, and I pulled that up. "What's wrong with you?"

"You were drowning again... And..." He drifted off, his gaze still directed towards my chest, now covered with a towel.

"Aaaand?" I prompted, "My eyes are up here, ferret." I growled. He glanced up at my eyes.

"I just pulled you out and they appeared... I didn't cover you with a towel because... Well... I thought it would hurt." I blinked at him, wondering what the hell he was on about.

"What?" I asked.

"The bruises..." His words brought back my dream, and I dropped my towel in fright. There they were. The bruises from him beating me up. I let out a strangled cry before pulling the towel up again. How were they there? How could they be there?

"I'll take you to the, um, hospital ward if you want."

"No!" I said, too quickly. "No." I repeated, slower. "I... I'll be fine. It was just... I fell off the broom. I'll make a potion when I get to my dormitory, I just didn't have time." The lie sprang to my lips easily, though I don't know how. I'm the worst liar I know.

"Right. Well. If you don't mind, I'd really like to have a bath here for once, without being attacked by flying bogeys." He said finally.

"Fine. Let me get changed then you can have a bath." I said. He nodded, and left. I changed quickly, and went straight up to the dormitory. Everyone was asleep. I propped myself up on my pillows, and studied my breasts. There was no way that had happened. It wasn't possible.

I took out a book and started reading. I had to keep my mind occupied. I couldn't fall asleep. Not again. I couldn't sleep.

**A/N:** Well, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm trying to make each chapter longer than the last. Don't ask me why, I just am. I'll probably go on until I've got a 3,000 word chapter, then I'll go back to the lower word counts, and work my way up again. But then, that's assuming I'll make it to the 3,000 word counts. So far this is progressing faster than I thought it would. And slower, at the same time. (**EDIT:** How did I not notice this? The first save of this (The separation mark) had been about 1,126. Now it was up to 3,279... Just thought I'd say, so you know that I wrote more than I'd expected to. In any case, I hope you enjoyed the larger than expected, and larger than normal, chapter. Still not sure how long the next chapter will be)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and please review. Milk and cookies for those who review. Coal for those who don't.


	7. I Don't Care

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Ice**

Our first spare period came, and I trudged up to the free classroom Dumbledore had put aside for us. It was the first period of the day, which was something, I guess. It meant that I hadn't had to spend all day with her all ready.  
>I hadn't even seen her in the bath this morning, which was good. I'd been able to sink into a nice hot bath, and relax. I hadn't had such a long, relaxing bath since leaving home. I know, it hadn't been that long, but when I was used to sinking into such a deliciously hot bath every day, it was a luxory that I missed.<br>Dumping my bag on the floor, I realised that I must have beaten her here, when I looked around the classroom and didn't see her anywhere. I frowned. I had been painstakingly slow to get up here, dragging my feet, and even taking a few detours, going out of my way to be late, but somehow, I was the first one here. Shrugging, I settled into a chair, and waited, taking out my potions book and flicking through it. There were some interesting potions in here. Weaselette had mentioned something about making a potion today, though I have no idea what she had planned exactly. It frustrated me to no end that she was the only person in this entire school who could help me. I had to rely on her to not repeat fifth year.  
>When half an hour had passed, I realised that something must be wrong. Somehow I doubted that she was the kind of person to skip out on this sort of thing just because she had a grudge against me. Hell, if it weren't for her, we wouldn't even have to do this thing. If she had that much of a grudge against me, surely she would have just stuck with doing her fifth year.<br>So I slipped my bag over my shoulder, and thought about what I should do. I could go to the Gryffindor common room. Prefects had passwords to all the common rooms. I knew that if anyone else was there with a free period they wouldn't be exactly warm and welcoming towards me, and I must admit I wouldn't entirely blame them, given how I usually treated the Gryffindors in my turn.  
>Instead of heading up there, though, I went to the staff room, which was on the same floor as the empty classroom we were going to use, and only a few rooms over. A quick look inside showed that, of course, the one teacher who I wanted wasn''t there. Of course he would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts to some year or another at this time, even if it wasn't sixth years. I tried to leave without making a noise, none of the Professors had even noticed me yet, but just as I was about to close the door, Professor McGonagall realised that I was there.<br>"Aren't you supposed to be studying with Miss Weasley?" She demanded, her thin lips pursed, her grey-green eyes narrowing as she watched me.  
>"Uh, yes, but she hasn't shown up." I said, trying to look anywhere but into her eyes. Somehow, she had always managed to freak me out. Not to mention, she was the head of Gryffindor house. There was a part of me that just naturally hated her, the same part that made me despise everyone in Gryffindor house.<br>Her eyes, already slits, seemed to narrow even further, and her lips seemed to purse even more. How on earth did she manage to do that? Despite myself, I shuddered slightly.  
>"Well, we'd best be seeing where she is, then." She said, rolling up her sleeves, and standing up. She walked right past me, out of the staff room, and I paused for a few seconds before following her. I was surprised to see that she took us outside, to the lake. I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw the group of students she was heading towards, though.<br>"Potter, have you still got that map?" I heard her ask. I saw Potter jumping up, startled, his eyes wide, clearly fearing trouble for something or other. Whatever it was they were talking about, he seemed adamant to deny any part in it, but after a few minutes of standing there, eyes narrowed, lips pursed, and arms crossed, Professor McGonagall worked a magic unique to teachers, and Potter handed her a bundle of parchment.  
>"Come on, Mister Malfoy." She said as she started past me. "You wasted enough time already." She paused for a few moments, muttering something under her breath as she tapped her wand against the parchment. Her eyes studied it for just a moment, before she nodded, and started off again. Potter, for some reason, seemed to think that whatever it was that he had given McGonagall was important enough to him to warrent following us. I almost snapped at him, telling him to mind his own business, but instead I opted for silence, following Professor McGonagall up to the Gryffindor Common room.<br>"Potter, take your map back and go study, don't you have a quiz next period?" Potter seemed to blush, before grabbing the bundle of parchment and running off, back to the lake, where he had seemed to be studying with the mudblood and blood traitor.  
>"Butterbeer Flagon." McGonagall said, and the rather rotund guardian to the Gryffindor Common Room let us both in, though she shot me a rather venomous look.<br>"Wait here, Mister Malfoy, or you'll be more of a nuisance than a help." She said as we reached the stairs. I waited obediently at the foot of the stairs as she made her way up, the dark green of her cloak making swishing noises as it rustled against each stair. There were only two Gryffindors in the Common Room, and they were both too immersed in a game of chess to pay any attention to anything going on outside of their game, even a Slytherin in their secret headquaters.  
>Rather impatiently of me, I started counting seconds while I waited for her to come back down, with Weaselette. I didn't have to wait long, really. A few minutes, and McGonagall came running down, Weaselette's bright red hair stark against the dark green of her cloak as she carried the limp form in her arms.<br>"Take her, Mister Malfoy." She said, holding out her arms. My own arms snapped out of their own accord, taking the surprisingly light bundle of the unconscious girl. "Come on, no time to waste." She snapped, when I seemed unable to move for a few seconds. She started off, hurrying out. I stood still for a moment, staring with shock at the form in my arms. What had happened? I didn't have time to question, though. I hurried after McGonagall, and followed her to the Hospital Wing. Even without seeing her fast retreating form in green, in front of me, I knew where she was headed. I may not know what happened to the Weaselette, but whatever it was clearly deserved a trip to the Hospital Wing.  
>Madame Pomfrey was startled to see us, and I realised that we must have been her first customers of the year. The school year had only been going for a few days, and already she was dealing with a mysteriously unconscious student.<br>I barely managed to stop myself from throwing Weaselette's unconscious form onto the hospital bed. Instead, I gently put her down, while Madame Pomfrey rushed over, clearly curious about why a student was brought to her so soon into the new school year.  
>"What's wrong with her?" Madame pomfrey asked, looking at the unconscious redhead.<br>"I don't know, Poppy." McGonagall said. "I gave her a quick once over, but it was nothing that I recognise."  
>"Hmmm..." Madame Pomfrey took her wand out and started muttering a few spells, that sounded familiar for some reason. "What's he doing here?" She demanded to know after a while, gesturing to me.<br>"He was supposed to study with her in this period. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't know that anything was wrong with her." McGonagall said. She turned to face me and frowned. "Best go on to your next class, Mister Malfoy. She'll be fine. She's in good hands." I nodded, and left, heading up to Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was my next class. For some reason, I felt better knowing that Weaselette was in good hands.  
>No. Why should I feel better? WEhy should I care one way or the other? I shouldn't. If anything, I should be happy that there was clearly something wrong with her. Yes, that's what I should be feeling. I shouldn't be feeling relieved that she was going to be safe.<br>Frowning to myself, I clutched my head. What was wrong with me? Okay, so Weaselette had done me a favour by agreeing to skip her fifth year, and let me continue with my sixth year. But that didn't mean I owed her anything. I was still glad that Voldemort was going to be doing something with her, to ruin her. Wasn't I?  
>I couldn't concentrate through my classes. I was too busy thinking about Weaselette. I ddin't see Weasel in any of my classes. ASomehow I thought that even he would have surely managed to get into Defense Against the Dark Arts. Of course, Longbottom had managed to get into it, and as much as I hated to give any Gryffindors credit, I must admit that Weasley had better grades that Longbottom.<br>I was supposed to study with Weaselette after school, but I went straight down to the Slytherin Common rooms instead, where Pansy met me and dragged me up to my room. Okay, so she didn't have to drag so hard.  
>I don't know why, or how, but I couldn't lose myself in Pansy the way I used to be able to. I frowned, as she lay on my bed, naked, pouting at me. I had thought for sure that a simple kiss from her would be enough to help me forget everything with Weaselette, let alone enough to help me get into the mood. Pansy might not be my favourite person in the world, and I may not feel as attached to her as she clearly did to me, but she was skilled. And usually she managed to get me excited, no matter what sort of mood I was in.<br>"What's wrong?" Pansy asked, knowing me well enough to know that something was clearly up. I shrugged.  
>"Get lost." I said, in no mood to her around if she wasn't going to be able to distract me sufficiently.<br>"But Dracy..." She said, her too-large lips pouting at me. I stared at her, and pointed at the door. I hated when she called me Dracy.  
>"Get. Lost." I said, this time through gritted teeth. Pansy frowned, and got up, hastily getting dressed, before leaving, without a second glance. No doubt she was going to find someone else to fulfill her needs tonight.<br>There were certainly enough willing participants in the Slytherin boys dorms.  
>"Not in the mood for the blow-queen of Hogwarts?" Blaise asked me, closing my door softly behind him as he entered. I had pulled some stone grey jeans on, and smiled as I saw my friend.<br>"Not today, no. Too much on my mind." I answered. Blaise nodded, understanding me. He was a good friend, and always there for me in any moods I had.  
>"Kinda figured as much when she stripped and threw Crabbe against his bed." Blaise said. I shuddered, despite myself.<br>"Crabbe, really?" I asked. Sometimes, that girl's choices shocked me.  
>"Yeah, I was hiding from her, and Goyle had detention." Blaise explained, sitting down on my bed. I nodded, and sat down next to him.<br>"Already? That's gotta be a record."  
>"Nah, remember last year?"<br>"Right." I nodded. Goyle was in detention a lot, usually from failing classes, or else from bullying little kids. Last year, he had received a detention before school even started. The mudblood Granger had noticed him picking on a first year, (who later got sorted into Slytherin, surprisingly) and recommended him for detention to one of the Professors who caught the train with us to Hogwarts.  
>"So, any particular reason, or just bored of her?" Blaise asked after a few minutes of silence. One of the best things about Blaise, and the only reason, truth be said, that I really kept him around, was that he was actually a good friend. Unlike Crabbe and Goyle, who were the sons of associates of my father's.<br>He was really the only friend that I had, and he earned his place by seeming to honestly care about me, and how I felt, as well as putting up with any of my sometimes erratic moods.  
>"Just too much on my mind." I said, shaking my head. He nodded, understanding, and we were silent again for a while.<br>"Okay, enjoy your thinking." Blaise said after a while, and left. I grinned, despite myself, and soon decided to go read my transfiguration book, while I waited for dinner to be served downstairs.  
>I felt immensely relieved when I saw a flash of red hair at the Gryffindor table. No, wait, what? What did I feel? No, I did NOT feel relieved. I felt a surge of anger... Or frustration. Now that she was better, no doubt she'd be back to spelling me, and hexing me, before long.<br>Frowning, I put her out of my mind, and ate some dinner.  
>I threw myself onto my bed after dinner, and all I could think about was Ginny. I didn't want to think about her. Even when I was imagining horrible things happening to her, 6focusing hard on imagining her being tortured under Voldemort's wand, it didn't seem right. No, I couldn't let myself think about her any more.<br>Instead, I closed my eyes, and started repeating different incantations in my mind. There was no worry that I'd manage a silent spell. My wand was on my bedside table, and I wasn't putting any force into the thoughts, instead I simply let myself focus on the words, and let my mind go through all of their meanings.  
>That took my mind off of her, and before I knew it, I was asleep, somehow.<br>And then, I dreamt.  
>Waking up, I didn't remember much of it. Only a feeling of relief. And the sense that... Well, the sense that Weaselette was the cause of the relieved feeling, somehow. I frowned, as I got dressed. No, I'd better put that dream out of my mind. Just like her. I had potions to start off with this morning, and I would need all of my mind to keep on track.<p>

**A/N:** Sorry for the while in updating, but I haven't really been around internet in a while T_T.

In any case, here you go, and the next chapter should be up soon (hopefully tomorrow). OH, and please, please, PLEASE review.


	8. Sting

**Fire**

I barely picked at my food last night, and this morning I didn't eat anything. Madame Pomfrey said that it was just exhaustion, from not sleeping much. Her recommendation was that I sleep some more. But I couldn't. Last night, I'd stayed up all night. My ankles were still stinging from all the stinging jinxes I'd sent at them during the night, in an attempt to keep awake. I knew it was more than being exhausted. He'd kept me there.

I shivered now, just thinking about it, and just stared at the blackboard, making sure that Draco didn't add anything in before he was supposed to. He almost did five times before potions was finished. It kept me awake, at least.

We had a spare class next, so I followed him up to the spare classroom we were supposed to be using.

"Hey, are you uhh okay?" He asked me when I'd shut the door behind us.

"Huh?" I asked. Did he sound... worried? No. He couldn't be. This is Draco Malfoy.

"Umm, well, after yesterday, are you uhh okay?" He scratched his head, and I just blinked at him. This definitely did not seem like the draco malfoy I knew.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine." I said finally. He nodded, and gave me what almost looked like a smile, before pulling out his potions book.

"Okay, so what are you going to teach me?"

"Well, I actually thought maybe that we could use these spares to work on our homework." He grimaced, and I couldn't help but smile. Yep, maybe I shouldn't have hesitated to work with him. It could mean a lot of torture. "Let's start with potions." I said, since he had his potions book out already.

We worked silently for most of the time. I wasn't actually out of my league, entirely. Our potions essay may have been long, but mostly it was about ingredients that I knew about from watching mum cook and make potions. Draco asked me now and then about the ingredients. Before long, our potions and transfigurations essays were done, and we started working on our ancient runes translations, before it was time for our next class. We'd completely missed the morning break. I didn't want to speak to anyone, and had purposely continued working on my essay. I was surprised when Draco paused by the door for a moment before coming back in to continue working.

Now we packed up to head off to Charms.

Draco was slower than me, putting his things in his bag, so I was walking out the door when I thought I heard him say something. "I'm glad to know you're okay." I turned around, sure that I hadn't heard correctly, or that I had been imagining things. Draco hadn't moved, and he wasn't looking at me. I must have been imagining things.

I yawned as I walked to Charms, and sent a quick stinging jinx at my ankles to keep me awake still. I couldn't fall asleep. Especially not during class. I sat down, and Harry sat down next to me.

"Hey." He said, smiling at me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, wincing slightly as I bumped my bag against my stinging ankles.

"I'm glad." His smile grew wider, and he rubbed my arm gently for a moment. "I guess I'd better let you work with Malfoy." He grimaced at the thought, but left to sit next to Ron, leaving the seat next to me empty for barely a moment before Draco sat down.

We parted for lunch. I went to the library to work on finishing my ancient runes translation. The very thought of food made me feel sick to my stomach. When lunch was over, and we made our way up to History of Magic. It was the one class we didn't have to work together, and the one I was dreading most today. Even Hermione, studious as she was, sometimes had trouble sitting through his classes. Of course, now she wasn't here to poke me to wake me up. Nor were my friends from last year. Instead, it was Draco, myself, Dean Thomas, Parvarti and Padma Patil. The moment all of them walked in, they more or less put their heads on their desks and started snoring. I couldn't let myself do that, though.

Instead, I began covering my shins with stings. It brought tears to my eyes each time I nearly fell asleep, but it kept me awake for a few extra minutes. I wrote down notes when my mind wasn't clouded with sleep or pain. Though when I reviewed them on my way down to Herbology, they didn't really seem to make much sense to me at all. I just shrugged, though, and decided to re-read the text book tonight, while I was trying not to sleep.

"We are going to be experimenting with growing magical plants." Professor Sprout said when we entered Greenhouse number six. "I'm going to be splitting you into threes, and you will be given a number of magical plants you need to keep alive and harvest by the end of the term." She took up a large sack, and dug her hand in, pulling it out to show us a handfull of beans. "But only if you can each name the seeds that I give you."

She started by splitting us up into groups of three. Poor Neville was the last one to be without a group, so I smiled at him and accepted him into our group. It was obvious that I would have to stick with Draco, but I was worried about who to get for our third. Mentally my fingers are crossed, hoping that Draco won't say something cruel or nasty to Neville, like he usually would.

"Thanks." Neville smiled at me as he walked over to us. There were three other groups of three, one of them being Harry Ron and Hermione. Professor Sprout came around to each group. Our group was last. She took out a handful of seeds, and spread them on the table before us. There were seven seeds in the handful. One made me wince to see it. We'd be growing a mandrake. But we were also growing a fairy bush, nightshade, wormwood, burning wood, gillyweed, and a stinging bush. I couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved at the stinging bush. I should be able to grab some of the leaves, when it's grown, and that will help keep me awake without needing to jinx myself.

We planted all of the seeds, and Neville and I both stopped Draco from giving the mandrake too much water, or from giving the gillyweed water at all. When we were finished, we had our afternoon break where we had time to was the dirt off of our hands, before it was time for Care of Magical Creatures, our last class for the day.

I was nearly falling asleep on my feet when I went down to dinner. I knew Ron would start worrying about me if I didn't at least make an appearance for dinner. I picked at some food, but the thought that I might fall asleep tonight made my stomach turn, and I wanted to throw up.

I felt a pair of eyes on me during the entire meal, but whenever I looked up, I couldn't see anyone watching me. It wasn't Ron, Hermione, Harry... Wasn't even Neville, or Dean. It wasn't until I finally gave up trying to eat anything that I realised who it was. I was standing up, when I glanced across and saw a pair of grey eyes staring at me from the Slytherin table.

I glared at him. why was he staring at me? Gripping my wand in my pocket, I sent a silent stinging hex at him. I hit him on the cheek. I was aiming for his forehead, but at least I didn't hit anyone else. He jumped back when the stinging hex hit him, and I couldn't help but smile.

That would teach him for staring at me. I made my way up to the Gryffindor Common room, and finished the last of my homework before reading my History of Magic textbook. It was near midnight before I crept out to have a bath before going to sleep.

I winced as I slipped my feet into the hot water. The stings on my ankles and shins made me grimace in pain as I got in, but after a few seconds the healing magic in the water began to work on it, and the stings began to cool down, until I felt relaxed, and I started to do laps.

_"You can't escape me through dreams." He was there, in front of me. He was sitting on the edge of the pool sized bath tub, his legs in the water. He smiled at me, his lipless mouth stretching, which made me wince more than when I'd slipped my stinging ankles into the hot water. "Come here." He said, and while I didn't want to, I couldn't help it. I struck out towards him. My eyes were wide and I tried to turn around, to swim away from him, but I couldn't. My legs kicked, bringing me closer and closer to him, until I was at the edge of the bath tub and was looking up into his glowing red eyes. "Such obedience, you really are a wonder." He said, slipping a finger under my chin and making me look up into his eyes. I shivered, trying hard to gain some control of my body, to get away from him, to punch him, anything. _

_"You really don't think that's your reality, do you?" He asked, before leaning back and laughing. "Oh no, dear one. _This_ is your reality, and this is what you are going to have to deal with. Now, climb out." __I couldn't help my actions as I pulled myself out of the tub. He stood up, his eyes drinking in my naked form for barely a moment before he lashed out. I stumbled backwards as I felt the impact in my stomach. It tore the breath from my lungs, and I couldn't breathe. "Now, stop fighting." He said. "Or there'll be more where that came from." I fell to my knees on the ground, struggling to get breath into my lungs. I was too busy struggling to breathe to fight against him when he shoved something into my mouth. I gagged, nearly throwing up, from the smell, and the size. He pushed his hips forward, and back, beginning a rhythmic thrust, in and out, quite fast, with a sickening squelching slapping sound each time it went back in._

_I couldn't breathe. That was all I could think about. All I could allow myself to think about. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't breathe. He thrust in and out, getting faster, and faster, I couldn't breathe. Finally he gave one last thrust, harder and longer than the others, and I could feel it jump about in my mouth as he came. He finally pulled out, and I spat up the disgusting liquid he his penis had spat out in my mouth._

"Get away from me!" I shouted, leaping away from him. I crouched down against the wall, finding my wand was in my hand, somehow. I wrapped my left arm around my breasts, covering what little I had, my position hiding my other private parts as I held my wand out, eyes wide as I thought about which hex I should send at him. I couldn't though. The small movement I'd done stirred my stomach and I was throwing up.

"Something's... wrong." The voice was familiar, but not the one I expected. Glancing up, I saw his grey eyes looking into mine, and I felt a wave of relief washing over me somehow. I don't know why, but the first thing I did was... Well, I cried.

**A/N:** Next one should be up soon. Hopefully. Ish. Maybe. Happy holidays.


	9. Crucial Spelling

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.  
><strong>Ice<strong>  
>I stared in horror as she fainted in front of me. She looked so weak, not at all like the feisty, fiery girl that I remembered from my previous years at Hogwarts. I stepped towards her slowly, and picked her up. For all the joking I may have done, I didn't find it particularly pleasing to look upon an unconscious girl. I know my father wouldn't like to hear that, but that really is his thing, not mine.<br>I carried her out of her corner, and into the bathtub, regardless of my clothes. I could just spell dry them when I stepped out. I washed off the vomit that was in her hair, after she had fallen into it, before carrying her back out. I laid her down on a towel, placing another one gently over her before emptying the bath, and spell drying my clothes. I looked around for her wand, where she'd dropped it. It was covered in her vomit. I couldn't help the face I made as I cleaned that up, before I cleaned up the vomit. Mother would have had a fit if she knew that I was cleaning up vomit, and spell drying my own clothes. Hell, father would have a fit that I was doing it because of the Weaselette.  
>After I had cleaned up the vomit, and her wand, I dried her with a couple of spells, and used a few more to help me dress her. She hung in mid air as I tied the old belt around her waist to keep the baggy jeans up. I had known she was thin, but just how thin she was shocked me still. She looked like nothing more than skin and bones. Once she was dressed, I held her gently in my arms, and carried her to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey would know what to do. She must.<br>The rest of the week passed by in somewhat of a daze. I was surprised to realise that it was only my first weekend after being back at Hogwarts. It had felt like a whole term. I couldn't believe it, but somehow, somehow, I was worried about Weaselette. No. Ginny. If I was going to worry about her, I had better call her by her name. Ginny. It really is a pretty name. Ginevra...  
>Pansy was upset that I wasn't spending time with her. I didn't really care. She just pouted and spent the night with Blaise anyway. I don't even really matter to that girl, no matter what she might say otherwise.<br>Now that I was in my sixth year, I was able to go to Hogsmeade on any weekend that I chose. So of course I spent my weekend there. Zonko's was shut, and the three broomsticks didn't have as many customers as it once did. But Honeydukes was a pure goldmine. I spent a few galleons there, and even paid a sickle to some pathetic little kid to carry my purchases up to the castle. He looked around him in awe as he walked beside me. He was a wizard, but he was too young. He chattered away in my ear about how excited he was to be going to Hogwarts next year. I learnt all about all of the friends he had who were already there, as well as the ones he had who were going to go there when he did, and he wondered about what the subjects were like. I'm sure he said much more as well, but honestly, I tuned him out after a while.  
>He left my things just inside the castle gates, which was as far as he was allowed to go. I saw him staring at the castle from behind the gates though. I paid a first year Slytherin who was wandering around the grounds to carry my purchases the rest of the way to my room. Two sickles, and about ten galleons on the sweets. All in all not a horrible day. And it had gotten my mind off of Weaselette for a few hours. Ginny. I still can't believe that I'm worried about her. But I know I'm not like my father. And I don't want to be. I know that I could never torture anyone. Or kill anyone.<br>That only made me think about my other problem. I sighed, as I laid back on my bed and pondered about that. I'd only been here a week, so I hadn't really thought about it yet. I knew I was supposed to kill Dumbledore. I'm still not all that sure about how I felt about that.  
>On the one hand, he can be a cantankerous old bore.<br>On the other hand, however, he's brilliant. And while I know that I'm safer off obeying Voldemort's wishes... Well there's a part of me that wonders what he could do for me. He protected the Potters, until their friend betrayed them, after all. And Aunty Bella is furious that she hasn't been able to get her hand on any of the Longbottoms. Though she won't every actually say it aloud. She prances around, and acts as if she's so great, for having tortured Neville's parents to insanity, but I know that she wishes every day that she could have just killed them, and their son, as well as Neville's grandmother.  
>I don't ever want to be like her. Or like my father. But do I really have a choice? I mean, what could Dumbledore do to me? He'd probably act as secret keeper, and lock me away somewhere. I wouldn't be able to go outside. I wouldn't be able to play quidditch. I'd be stuck there. Alone. Bored. With nothing to do but clean. Or maybe he'd pop in to give me homework. Because that just sounds extra appealing.<br>No. That doesn't seem like an option. Not when I know that Voldemort will kill Dumbledore. With or without my help. And if I go to Dumbledore for protection... I'll be on his kill list as well. I still remember seeing Igor Karkaroff's face in the Daily Prophet, when he was found dead. So many men, deserters, murdered, because they tried to get away from him. It's worse to be a deserter than it is to be against him from the beginning. At least if you started off against him, he can't track you with your mark...  
>I sucked on a sugar quill. I had too much to think about. My homework was piling up. I sort of knew what to do... Sort of. But I was given a reprieve of doing them until Ginny was out of the hospital wing, anyway. Madame Pomfrey's made her stay there this time. Unlike last time, when she'd been allowed out on the condition that she sleep. She was being healed for the stings that I had seen on her ankles, and calfs. Even on her thighs. She was also being healed for the bruises that marred her body. At first Madame Pomfrey gave me a stern look. But then she realised that if I had been lying about the marks, I wouldn't have brought her in. And of course, she was kept sleeping.<br>I don't know what it was that made me worry about her. Why was I worried about her? It must have been the healer in me. I always knew that I wanted to be a healer. I couldn't stand seeing people sick, or injured. Father said that it was a good profession, because they needed more people on the inside of St Mungo's. And other such institutions. I didn't have the guts to tell him that that wasn't why I was doing it. Hell, I didn't have the guts to tell my father anything.  
>I'm a great big coward. Which was why I decided to use a cursed necklace to kill Dumbledore. I wouldn't be able to do it directly. Not for lack of skill. I have killed animals with avada kedavra before.<br>No, I couldn't be able to stand to look in his eyes as I killed him.  
>So I wrote a letter. I sat at the desk in my room for a long time, thinking about what to write. I had to write to my father.<br>Finally, I figured out what to do.

_Father _

_I have been wondering about what to get VPansy for her birthday this year.  
>I have been putting a lot of thought into it, and I think I've come up with<br>something._

_Do you remember when you took me to Borgin and Burkes a few days ago?  
>They had a necklace there, that would look perfect on <span>him<span> her neck. You  
>must remember the one. I pointed it out, and said how curious it was.<em>

_~Your son, Draco_

I re-read it quickly. It looked innocent enough. I fixed up my P for Pansy. Anyone would think that I'd simply made a flourish on the P. Not that it was supposed to be a V. Then I checked on how I'd crossed out him. It honestly looked as if I'd quickly jotted down him, distracted, before crossing it out and changing it to her. I dusted the parchment with sand when I was satisfied with my message. Now all I could hope for is that my father understands it. At the very least he would know exactly what necklace I'm talking about. There was only one necklace I had pointed out to him at Borgin and Burkes.

I ran into Granger on my way up to the Owlery.

"Watch where you're going, mudblood." I growled, rescuing my parchment from where it had fallen. She reached it before me. I hadn't sealed it yet, so it came open simply. I tore it out of her hands quickly, but that only made her suspicious. She glared at me, her eyes narrow, before turning heel and walking off, as if she were somehow better than me. Pffft. In what world.

I got to the Owlery finally, in one piece, with no more interruptions. I sealed the parchment, and tied it up to my hawk owl's leg. She hooted three times at me before flying off. I never wrote to anyone but father.

That done, I went back to my room. I figured it was time to start making a dent in my purchases of today.

**A/N:** Sorry about the length. I hope you enjoy it though. Got it to you before the new year. Surprisingly.

The next chapter will be posted up in 2012 sometime. I don't know when, but hopefully it won't be later than February. A few things are going on in my life right now, one thing being that I don't have a laptop to use. In any case, hopefully the next chapter will be posted next month sometime. Hopefully, fingers crossed, though I incredibly doubt it, in the first couple of weeks.

Hope you all had a great Christmas, and wishing you the best for the year to come.

Oh, review. Please. I love reviews. 3. Also hugs and applause to my new beta, DoneDiedLastYear

I've beta'd for her for a while now, and now she's doing the same for me, so give her lots of love, because she is awesome. And you should read her stories as well. (If you like Twilight, she's doing a really good group of stories there) and she's also a DracoxGinny fan ^^


	10. Glasses?

**Fire**

_I was suspended in space. I couldn't feel anything. I was surrounded by two worlds. In one world, there was a woman. She seemed familiar, but I didn't know who she was. She had iron-grey hair, up in a bun, and she was wearing all white. She looked like a nurse... No... The word was... Healer... There were other beds around mine. Some were occupied. And there were other visitors. The most common was a boy. He had shaggy red hair, and he seemed worried. With him was usually a bookish girl. She had insane brown hair, and pretty, if somewhat plain features. I saw the looks they gave each other when they thought they weren't looking. Other times he came with a boy. He was tall, with black hair, green eyes, glasses, and a peculiar scar on his forehead._

_That was the world I liked. The one I wanted to believe in. But the other one seemed much more real. _

_In the other world, there was a boy. He was tall, with eyes that were brown, tinged with red. His skin was pale, nearly white, and when he smiled, his thin lips stretched. He didn't look unattractive, though. More... Mean. There was something about him. Some memory. I wanted him to not be real. He couldn't be real. But he seemed to be calling to me. I felt like the other world was slipping away, more and more._

_But I held on. I had to. There was something important about the other world. There was something... Some reason to cling to it... There was... A boy. He didn't visit my bed, but he was there. I felt him. I felt his presence. He was somewhere... He was... There was something about him. I felt like he was calling to me. I could picture his face, though I couldn't see it. He had pale features, and light hair, perfectly cut, though without the careful attention that looked like he spent hours on it. Somehow... Somehow that didn't seem right, but it made him seem so much... So much more real. His features were perfect. Almost too perfect. And his eyes were an icy grey. And every time I pictured him, I felt like he was the only thing keeping me to that world._

_I don't know how long I was suspended here. It could have been minutes, or hours. It could have been days, or weeks. Finally, something changed. I had a different visitor. He was tall, though stooped. He was ancient. His snow-white beard nearly reached the floor, though it was tucked into a rope, which was tied around his waist. He was wearing peacock coloured robes, and his bright blue eyes were framed by spectacles in the shape of half moons. _

_He looked at me, as if I were a puzzle to be solved. His blue eyes bored into my brown ones. He waved his hands over my body, and... All of a sudden I was free. He cut the tie. Now there was only one world around me. It was the real one. He pulled me into the world._

My eyes felt glued shut. I mumbled something, my lips feeling dry. Someone held a glass of water to my lips, pouring it into my mouth. I managed to swallow. Finally, I managed to tear open my eyes. The world around me was blurred. I could just see someone... White hair... Blue robes... Dumbledore. I don't know where the name came to me from, but it seemed right. I blinked a few times, but the world didn't get any clearer.

"What's wrong?" The voice was concerned, but light, as if worried that I would go back to sleep if he weren't gentle. I wanted to shoot a glare at him, but I couldn't. Not when I couldn't really see him.

"Everything's... Blurry." I finally managed to choke out. I think he may have nodded. But I couldn't really be sure. Not when I couldn't really SEE him.

"I thought it might be.. Here." Everything around me suddenly came into crystal clear view. I felt a bit of pressure on my ears, and nose, and realised that Dumbledore had put a pair of glasses on me. And with them, the world suddenly came rushing back. I remembered everything, and I suddenly screamed. I started thrashing around in my bed, but Dumbledore put a hand on my arm. It settled me down, suddenly. I took a deep breath. And then another few quick, if deep, breaths. I couldn't breathe. The breaths weren't getting to my lungs. I couldn't... I couldn't...

"Breathe." The word seemed to strike me deeply, and I breathed, suddenly. The air reached my lungs. I breathed. I calmed down.

"Sleep." And I did. This time I didn't dream. I didn't feel the world around me.

The next time I woke up, Ron was there, with Harry and Hermione. They were all sitting around my bedside. Ron was gripping my hand, and Harry was cleaning his glasses, while Hermione was studying mine.

"Can I please have those back?" I managed to croak. I think she jumped, but she handed me the glasses. I put them on, and all three of them became clear now.

"Are you all right?" Ron asked. I nodded.

"I'm fine... I just... I'm fine..." Madame Pomfrey came by then, and tutted, before leaving me a glass of water, along with some tablets, and walking off again. I took the tablets, obediently, and sat up.

"Woah, what's that?" I asked, realizing that there was a small pile of goodies on the table on my other side.

"A few friends and family sent you some things while you were out." Harry said, smiling.

"How long _was_ I out?" I asked, worried.

"Two weeks."

"WHAT!"

That definitely surprised me. Ron, unsurprisingly, helped me open the presents. Some were letters, which I left for later, but most were sweets. There was a really large pile there, and I have no idea I knew that many people who would buy me sweets if I were sick. Oh well, I'm not going to complain. Most of them came without names, but a few chocolate frogs were from Neville. Padma and Parvarti had given me a box of bertie botts. Harry gave me a large packet of sugar quills, Hermione gave me some droobles, and Ron gave me a bottle of butter beer. The only other gift that was named was a stack of quibblers. I didn't even need a name to know that Luna had given me those.

I waited until Ron, Harry, and Hermione had left before I opened my letters. Luna hoped I got well soon, and recommended some horn of... something... to ingest in order to get better faster. And some drops of something else to be able to go for weeks without sleeping. I laughed a few times. Luna could always make me laugh, though I knew she rarely meant to make me.

There were three other letters. One was from Mum and Dad. They were worried about me, and begged me to send them an owl as soon as I could. The next was from Bill, demanding that I find a way to talk to him, to tell him everything. The last one confused me.

I opened it, and felt straight away that it wasn't for me.

The writing was unfamiliar, but I realised who it was from as soon as I read the first word. Well, mostly because the first word was a name. But my curiosity wouldn't let me leave it unread.

_Draco -_

_I can't believe that you want to buy a necklace _

_for that... harlot. I don't care how much it costs_

_or how _curious_ it is. I really do not. You must_

_cease your relationship with her immediately if_

_this is the sort of thing she convinces you to do_

_- Your father._

I was stunned. I read it a few times, before folding it up. I would have to give that to him when I was allowed out of the hospital wing again. Which Madame Pomfrey said should be tomorrow.

**A/N:** First update for the new year. Written and sent to my amazing beta DoneDiedLastYear on NYE, and posted today because... Well, let's just say that alcohol is a poison, and should be treated as such. Hope you enjoy, and please, please review... ^^


	11. Relief

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Ice**

I made my way to class, in the same foul mood I'd been in for the past two weeks. Why was I in a foul mood? Well, that could be summed up in two simple words. Ginny Weasley. Merlin knows that I should hate her. And that I should be relieved that she hadn't been plaguing me for the last two weeks. She'd spent her last four years in Hogwarts casting every curse and hex she learns on me. And this year, well, the first week of it anyway, she'd been cutting into my relaxation time by hogging the bath, and... Well, somehow, she'd gotten into my head.

I shouldn't have been surprised that she wasn't in class when I got there. Harry and Ron were sitting in front of me, heads together as they whispered conspiratorily. As if my life hadn't been enough of a hell the past few weeks, I had to live with the golden trio believing that I'd somehow had something to do with the Weaselette - Ginny - being beaten, covered in stinging hexes, and mysteriously unconscious.  
>If only they knew that i was the cause. I sat down hard on my chair. When Hermione came in, I was expecting her to sit next to me, as she had been for the past two weeks - in place of Ginny, since apparently I needed a strong partner to help my classwork. Instead, she sat down on Ron's other side.<br>My eyes grew wide as Ginny followed her inside. She was wearing large, old-fashioned horned-rimmed glasses, that looked like they'd probably been around since the beginning of time. Despite that, however, she looked better than I'd last seen her. She seemed to have put on a bit of weight. Enough not to look like a waif, at least. Her hair was more vibrant, and her skin seemed less pale.  
>I couldn't help the smile of relief that lit my features as she sat down beside me. She was alright. I had no reason to feel guilty about her. The thought was a reassuring one. I didn't even mind that I'd have to help catch her up on what she missed. She was okay. She was... She was alive.<br>"Stop staring at me." She growled, halfway through Transfiguration class. I blinked, and realised that I had actually been staring at her. Well, the glasses. Which really didn't do her justice. Though to be fair, the rest of her ensemble didn't exactly help that.  
>"I'm sorry." The words were out of my mouth before I realised I'd said them. "But... You're actually here?" There were times when I'd imagined that she'd come into class over the past two weeks. But in the end it had always been Hermione who turned around and glared at me.<br>"What kind of ferret-brained stupid half-assed question is that?" She asked, loud enough that the trio in front of us turned around, directing their best glares at me.  
>The rest of the class passed by in silence, until I asked her help with the pronunciation of the spell. Something about that made her jump, and dig in her pockets, until she came out with a crumpled piece of paper.<br>"Sorry about the condition. And I kinda read it. It ended up in my letters somehow." She said, too quickly. I frowned, as I wondered what she was on about, before taking the note from her. I put it in my own pocket, to read later.  
>I read it during morning tea, and was annoyed that father couldn't understand my code. Didn't he have eyes? Throwing his reply in the bin, I drafted a new letter, when I finally managed to get away from Ginny, after we'd gone through one week's homework, with the idea that we'd go through the next week's tomorrow.<br>_Father -_  
><em>I know that your EYES mustn't be what they used to, but you really should understand that some things shouldn't be put to paper. Instead, Certain Options must be useD to Ensure that nothing falls into the wrong hands. That being said, the necklace I pointed out to you would be a wonDerfUl gift for a certain Miss pansy Because LatEly I have been Dreaming abOut giving, RathE than taking. <em>  
><em>Failing to understand that, deliver me the necklace if you wish your boss to be pleased with <span>my<span> your performance._  
><em>-Draco<em>  
>If he didn't get that, my father had to be far worse of an idiot than I had assumed. It was so blatantly obvious that I wondered why I put it in code at all. Surely if anyone got it, they must be able to decipher it.<br>Sighing, I sent it off. I'd missed dinner by the time I'd finished writing the ltter. So instead, I found my bath robe, and made my way to the prefects bathroom. I'm not sure whether I was relieved, or sad, that she wasn't there. At least I got the chance to have a good bath. I let the water run until the tub was full, before undressing, and slipping in.  
>The hot water was soothing, and I began to relax, for the first time since I'd come upon her in the bathroom, gagging on something in her sleep. That had been the first time I realised what it was that was happening to her.<br>When I'd suggested her to Voldemort - I had... Well, I had assumed that she would undergo something like the Longbottom's parents had. Cruciatus curse, torturing her within an inch of her sanity. Something quick, and out of the way soon.  
>Instead, I'd realised at that moment why she'd seemed so different when I'd seen her on the train. He'd been in her dreams. Getting deep into her mind, over the Summer, so that he could continue his torment even here, where Dumbledore's countless spells around the school should have protected her.<br>"Oh, sorry." I had been sitting on the edge, lost in my own thoughts, so I hadn't even heard the door open. Ginny stood in the doorway, blushing profusely, though it took me a minute to realise that the reason was because unlike her milky baths, which hid her naked body under the water, I preferred the clear water, and everything submerged was clearly visual.  
>She turned around, facing the doorway. "I didn't realise you were here."<br>"It's okay." I said, standing up. I wasn't used to girls turning away when they saw me naked. Heck, I was used to them staring, and practically eating me up with their eyes. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist. "You can look now." I said. She turned around, her face the same delicious red as her hair. Delicious red? No! I couldn't let myself think like that. I was just relieved that she was okay, because that meant I hadn't... Well, it meant I hadn't killed her.  
>"I forgot to say thanks." She said. I stared at her, confused. "For rescuing me." She shrugged, and I knew that she felt as weird thanking me, as I felt being thanked. "Ummm... I'll leave you to get changed now." She spun around and left before I could say anything. I frowned as I noticed the stings on her ankles, below the bottom of her robe, as she walked away. I'd thought she was supposed to be healed?<br>I shook my head, and got dressed, releasing the water of the bath tub.  
>Pansy was naked on my bed, asleep, when I got there. I'll admit, I'd used my walk back to the Slytherin common rooms to clear my head, which meant taking several detours. I'd bumped into a few first years who thought it was a smart idea to wander around the castle at this time of night. I sent them all to bed with warnings, and told them that I'd take their names to a teacher for detention - not that I would.<br>I shut the door hard behind me, and that's what woke her up. She looked at me with her pug face, and I wondered how I could ever have thought that she was pretty enough to take to bed.  
>"I want you to go, now, and I don't want to ever see you here again." I said, my voice a low growl.<br>"What?" She sat up, a confused look on her face. The only reason she wanted me was because I was the only boy to ever refuse her at all. She didn't look into my eyes, which could be the only reason that she thought I was joking. "Oh, you know I like it when you play, Dracy-poo."  
>"Get. Out." I said. She was startled by the pure hatred, and venom in my voice, and glanced up, meeting my eyes. I'm not sure what she saw there, but whatever it was made her freeze.<br>"Draco-" She said, standing up, not even bothering to take a sheet to wrap her nudity. Such a shameless, ugly slut she was.  
>"You heard me." I said. My wand was in my hand before I realised it, and it was pointed levelly at her. I don't know what I was planning to unleash on her, but for once I didn't care.<br>With tears in her eyes, she ran from my room. I heard some hyped up screams of orgasm a while later, and knew that she was trying to grab my attention. Trying to tell me that she didn't need me. She couldn't have been more wrong. It was I who didn't need her.  
>I stared at my sheets, for a moment furious that she had been naked in them. That made me think of all the times I'd seen her writhing beneath me on those sheets, and I pulled them off of my bed and shoved them into the fire.<br>Staring at the flames as they licked the sheets, I couldn't help but smile, as I felt I was putting that part of my life behind. If only I knew. If only I had any idea.

**A/N:** Oh my god, you guys! I'm so sorry it's been so long! You should never let me go this long again without posting something! Send me a message, or something. Poke me hard! Get me out of my rut.

Well, hope that's okay for now. I promise the next chapter won't be too far off. Milk and cookies for everyone who reviews. And a letter to Santa explaining how mean you are to those who don't. And yes, I've already sent a letter explaining how mean I am to Santa for not posting for so long.


	12. Summons

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Fire**

I woke from the first good night's sleep I'd had all year, and got dressed, before rubbing a salve into the stings on my ankles. I hadn't slept over the weekend, since I'd been released from the hospital wing. I'd been expecting sleep to be at least as horrible as it had over the Summer.  
>When I'd finally succumbed to sleep last night, after the tiring day of being back at school, after the horrible two weeks of suspended reality - that's what Dumbledore had called it, not that I'd told him everything about my dreams. He had frowned, and asked me if it was more than what I'd already experienced. But there was no way I could tell him what he had done to me in my sleep. There was no way I could admit it to myself.<br>The night of actual sleeping had me feeling so good I actually ate some breakfast. Sure, it was only a couple of pieces of toast, but it was more than I'd eaten before. And I struggled to eat even that.  
>I was in such a good mood, I didn't even slap Draco - Malfy - when he nearly exploded a potion in our faces during class. Instead, I grabbed his wrist, and just pulled it and the fistful of mandrake root away from the nearly boiling water.<br>He was surprised when I didn't hit him, but he didn't say anything about it. Or about what I'd said last night. Which I was glad of. I couldn't believe I'd thanked him. But then... I could be with... him... Or... worse... if he hadn't been there to take me to the hospital wing. I don't remember much of that night. I just remember seeing him. He'd looked... Well, he'd looked frightened. Which I couldn't believe. It was so unlike him.  
>I made it through my classes, before making my way to the unused classroom we'd been using, after school.<br>I laid our potions books in front of us. Slughorn had apparently set everyone a huge essay the week before - though he'd excused me from having to complete it because I'd been unconscious, I wanted to do it anyway.  
>The essay was on Amortentia. A very dangerous potion. Apart from Hermione, I was probably the only girl in the school who wouldn't be interested in getting my hands on it. It was hard to correctly brew amortentia. It was much easier to brew a love potion much more specific. But, as I wrote in my essay, the most common problem with that is not getting the correct blend of ingredients specific for the person. If even one ingredient was wrong, or if it was ingested by someone other than the intended, the consequences could be horrible.<br>I finished my essay before Draco, and quickly glanced at what he was writing.  
>"That's wrong." I said. He stopped his quill, and sighed.<br>"What?" He asked. "What's wrong?"  
>"Amortentia isn't easier to brew. It is easier to use. Also, Amortentia doesn't create love. It creates strong infatuation. And while hair is good, for the person you want the drinker to fall for, it's spit that's better. Not sweat."<br>"Anything else wrong with my essay?" He asked.  
>"Well, actually, you've got the ingredients in the wrong order. You add the roses in last, not first."<br>"They're not in any particular order." He said. "It just said to list them. It didn't say to list them in order."  
>"Yes," i said, explaining slowly, as if he were little. "But if you list them in order, you could get extra points."<br>"So what if I get extra points?"  
>"Well, given the quality of your essay, it's not hard to see why you didn't get Exceed Expectations for potions. You should really grasp at all the extra points you can get. When you display unnessary knowledge in your assignments, professors get a better idea of what you understand. And the more extra information you put in there, the more you clearly understand." I explained.<br>"So I should write about things that are completely unrelated, to get a few extra points for demonstrating knowledge?" It was obvious he felt he was mocking me.  
>"Read this, and tell me how unrelated that is." He read my essay, and from the look on his face I knew he was ready to jump in and tell me exactly how unrelated everything was. I smirked when he reached the bottom without finding one thing that didn't relate to the topic at hand. "It's something Hermione taught me." I said, as I took my essay back from him, and rolled it up. "As long as the information is related to the topic at hand, you can get a surprising amount of extra points for including things that you don't need to."<br>"That's how she gets 114% on her tests." Draco muttered. I couldn't help but smile at that. It was something she'd shared with me in my second year here. She'd heard from one of my classmates that I'd been having nightmares again, and she'd decided to help me with my homework, to distract me from thoughts of the chamber. And him.  
>While Draco was busy, re-writing his potions essay, I got to work on my ancient runes translations.<br>I'd known what I'd wanted to do since I was a young girl. With six boys, Mum knew a lot of healing spells, and potions. Though only basic ones. She had almost studied to be a healer herself, before she gave birth to Bill. When Bill was placed in her arms, however, she knew that her joy in life wouldn't come from healing people, but bringing them up.  
>As great as she was at healing spells, she was even better at cooking, and cooking spells, as anyone who had ever been to the Burrow can tell you. The house elves in the kitchen here can do a little magic. Enough to make sure they don't over or under cook anything. But they don't understand the flavour. Not like Mum. Mum can make the cheapest cuts of meat please even the fussiest of eaters. A few spells here, a few spices there, and you would be biting into the most tender piece of meat you'd ever had.<br>A lot of people who've been to the Burrow wonder how Mum can provide food for us. Especially the amount that she does. A lot of it we grow our own. Foods and herbs used for cooking in a small garden, closest to home. The ones used for magic farthest. And the ones used for both in the middle.  
>When we were finished eating, and there was always a lot left over, what we didn't eat went to the chickens, whose eggs we ate. And, when they stopped laying, there was always the best tasting chicken soup, or roast chicken, that you'd completely forget that you were eating a chicken that you had taken care of since it was a little egg.<br>Naturally, as her only daughter, there was a deal of her cooking, and healing magic that she passed on to me. I'd been helping her fix broken bones - when Fred or George had fallen off their brooms, playing 'beat me' with bludgers they spelled themselves, since I was eleven. And, believe me, those self-spelled bludgers would always break at least a nose.  
>Sure, technically I wasn't supposed to be doing magic outside of Hogwarts. But so were they! Besides, every wizarding family had kids doing magic. Everyone knew how inexact the Trace was. Plus, Mum was happy to have my help.<br>When Draco had finished re-writing his essay, I helped him with his translations. He wasn't horrible. He managed to translate more runes than I had, and in a quicker time, but he got his syntax mixed up a lot, which would detract points.  
>We were packing away for the day when Professor McGonagall hurried into the room. I was feeling pleased with myself, for finishing two weeks homework in the last two days, but my stomach sank when I realised that it was obvious that she was looking for me.<br>"Oh, thank goodness you two are here. Come with me please." She said. She waited as we finished packing our things away, then we followed her to Professor Dumbledore's office.  
>"Grape clouds." She said, and the gargoyle leapt away immediately. I stepped on the spiral staircase first, wondering what was wrong. Was I going back to my fifth year, after all this?<br>Dumbledore was sitting down at his desk. He invited us to sit down without a word, and Professor McGonagall left, which made my heart sink. Oh, no.

**A/N:** Sorry it's not as long as the last one. But hey, it's a chapter :D And up sooner than I bet you expected xD

Hopefully the next one shouldn't be too long. Lots of thanks to Katereena for reviewing. LOTS of milk and cookies for you :D


	13. Dream Magic

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Ice**

I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping that he wasn't about to tell us that this whole experiment had failed. That we had to go back to our fifth year. Oh, please, merlin, let it not be that.  
>"Miss Weasley, Mister Malfoy, thank you both for coming." Not that he really left us much of a choice. "I'm sure you must be wondering why I summoned you here so quickly." Really, what an understatement.<br>"Now, I'm sure you're both curious as to what has kept Miss Weasley from class for the past two weeks." I saw Weaselette - Ginny - barely move forward in her chair, her eyes widen. "Do either of you know about dream magic?" I shook my head, but Ginny nodded. Of course. Little miss goody-two-shoes know about it.  
>"Well, Mister Malfoy, dream magic is an incredibly rare type of magic. Few people know about it, and even fewer learn it. Many who do are lost in dreams all too quickly. For the past two weeks, we have been looking into all of those who can properly control dream magic."<br>"Let me guess-" Wease- Ginny- interrupted him. Something I'd never do. "Voldemort?" I was surprised by the smile that lit Dumbledore's face when she said his name. He nodded.  
>"Absolutely correct." He said. "We have found out that he is very powerful in dream magic. Quite unsurprising, giving his skill at legilimensy."<br>"Legi-"  
>"The ability to delve into minds." Dumbledore explained, before W-Ginny finished her question. "Something that makes him quite the formiddable opponent." Ginny nodded slowly, looking pale suddenly.<br>"Now, I'm trusting you had a good nights sleep last night?" Ginny nodded slowly, and I was reminded of the stings on her ankles. It made sense now. She'd been trying to stay awake, and had stung herself. "Now that I am aware of his presence in your dreams, I have been able to strengthen the guards on the school, specifically in your dormitory, to keep him out of your dreams."  
>"Uh, professor?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Why am I here?"<br>"Mister Malfoy, the thing about dream magic, is that in the end, no amount of magic can stop keep it out indefinitely. There will inevitably be times when he leaks into Ginny's dreams, some times stronger than other. As such, she is going to need a close eye kept on her. Given that the two of you are closely involved this year, I couldn't think of any better person to keep a close eye on her." He looked me in my eyes, and I felt a distinct shiver, as I wondered at his own skill in legilimensy - could he read my mind? Could he know what I was supposed to do? What I've already done?  
>"The two of you are going to need to work together. There is a reason Voldemort is trying to get inside Miss Weasley's mind, and whatever reason that is, we must try to counteract it." Again, he was staring right into my eyes, and I wondered if he could read my mind.<br>We left shortly after that, and I bumped into Potter on my way out. He was hovering at the door, and glared at me as I hopped on the revolving staircase. I glanced behind me to see Ginny smiling at him, before hopping on behind me.  
>"I'll see you tomorrow." I said, after waiting for her at the bottom.<br>"Whatever." Ginny shrugged, and stormed off to the Gryffindor common rooms.  
>I watched her leave, a frown on my facce. Why was she stuck in my mind?<br>I made my way to my room, and was thankfull that Pansy wasn't there. I realised where she was only a few minutes later, when Blaise came into my room with a pale face.  
>"What did you do to her this time?" He asked, sitting down at my desk.<br>"What do you mean?" I asked.  
>"Crabbe saw her going into the Gryffindor Common Room, with Dean Thomas."<br>"Dean Thomas?" I raised an eyebrow. Why did he sound familiar. "Is he that guy who blows everything up?  
>"Nope. That's his friend, Seamus. Dean's the one who's going out with Weaselette."<br>"Ginny?" I asked. Blaise looked at me like I was out of my head.  
>"Yeah, that one."<br>Well... It's her problem.  
>I was relieved when the package arrived after Blaise left. Wrapped in plain brown paper, I knew not to open it. The letter attached was brief, just telling me to be careful, blah blah blah. I could tell from the hurried print that Father had been furious when he wrote it. Either from the way I'd called him stupid, or the way I'd threatened him. But he was at home, and I was safely at Hogwarts. There's nothing he can do to me here.<br>I put the necklace in a draw, and locked it with a spell. Step one done. Now I needed to figure out how I was going to get it to him. That was going to be a challenge all on its own.  
>When I finally got to sleep, I had the sweetest dream I could remember. She looked up at me from my fresh, clean sheets, her dark brown eyes wide, as she took me in above her. Her hair was splayed out beneath her, a vibrant red against my pale blue pillows.<br>She smiled up at me, her teeth showing white against her luscious lips.  
>I woke up sweating, with a desperate need. My first thought was to call Pansy. I know she would have come running, desperate. But there was no way I was doing that. Instead, for the first time in my life, I had to deal with my frustration myself.<br>"So that's what that's like." I said when I was finished, as I cleaned myself up with a tissue. Not something I wanted to do again any time soon, that's for sure.

**A/N:** So I guess I kinda feel like I really need to make up for the long gap between updating. _ More cookies and milk for Katereena, and cookies and milk for Marinka.**  
><strong>

Also, for Marinka, Voldemort has no way of seeing where Ginny is in reality. She almost died because she was in the bath tub, when she fell asleep. Also if she does die, then she's just one more person to add to the list of people who have died because of Harry, which would obviously drive him closer to the edge. :3


	14. Tryouts

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Fire**

I got dressed in my quidditch robes in record time. Again, they were hand-me-downs. At least they were from Fred, though. He wasn't too much larger than me, and thankfully the robe actually reached my ankles. Dressed, I grabbed the broom Mum had bought me for making Prefect. It wasn't great, just an old Sweeper model, but it was better than any of the brooms that the school provided.  
>I met Ron and Harry at the Quidditch Pitch. I wasn't surprised by the amount of people waiting to try out. Or that Harry was too shy to deal with them. I yelled to get everyone organised, and quickly helped him sort out the first years, and those from other houses, who really just wanted to see Harry. We got them up to the seats, and then the try outs began. He started with beaters, so I sat with Harry for a bit, as we watched them try out. I helped, giving him my honest feed back. He smiled at me, but I didn't feel the usual heart flutter that came along with his smiles or nearness.<br>What's wrong with me? Shaking my head, I got up for my turn to try out. Ron was keeping down one end, while McLaggen was keeping the other. I decided to send my goal towards Ron. If it went in, it meant I was definitely in. If he got it, then I'd be helping him out, not McLaggen.  
>I threw the ball, and was momentarily worried that Ron wouldn't get it. It almost went right underneath him, but he nearly fell off of his broom to kick the quaffle away. I was amazed, and cheered along with everyone else.<br>Harry threw me a grin, and a nod, telling me that I was in, and then I flew down to watch the rest of the chasers try out. I could have sworn that McLaggen was going to save all of his shots, but somehow he went left when Katie threw right. She was straight in, and he was out. Not that I wasn't happy about it. McLaggen was an ass. I hadn't spent much time with him. He'd been in the Slug Club, but he seemed stupid and self-centered. Sure, I'd prefer if he got bludgers to the head, rather than Ron, but Ron deserved to be keeper more than him.  
>After the team was all chosen, including back up players - I was going to be seeker if anything happened to Harry, like last year - we made our way to the Great Hall for dinner. My appetite had definitely been coming back with my good sleep. I could hardly remember sleeping this well. It made everything tolerable. Even spending most of my time with Dr-Malfoy. He's Malfoy, or Ferret, Gin. NOT Draco! Just because he saved my life, doesn't mean a thing.<br>I ate an actual full sized meal. Sure, it wasn't a Ron meal. But it was normal. A couple of roasted vegetables, and some chicken pot pie. It was delicious.  
>After dinner, I went to bed, tired from the exercise when the most exhausting thing I'd been doing since school started was homework. Though, that's not to say that spending time with Malfoy isn't exhausting. Especially now that he asks me if I'm okay every time he sees me. It's frustrating. I had to fight my instincts to shove his headphones down his throat when he asked me in Herbology, after we'd parted ways for FIVE MINUTES to walk from Transfiguration class to outside. Instead I managed to simply roll my eyes towards Neville.<br>I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, and was thankful for a dreamless sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night, and I'm not sure what woke me. I couldn't get back to sleep for the life of me, however, so I decided to go to the bathroom. I was... relieved? That Malfoy wasn't there. I tapped the taps I wanted, and made sure to tap the milk tap, before derobing, and slipping into the warm, calming water.  
>I started doing laps again, and began to relax.<br>I didn't count my laps, so I had no idea how long I was doing them when he came in. He sat down quietly, and just watched me do my laps for a while. I ignored him as best I could, before I began to tire, and I made my way to the edge of the bath.  
>"What do you want?" I asked, sitting on the edge, and pulling my knees up to look at him.<br>"Well, I wouldn't mind a bath." He said. "But it seems as if you always beat me here."  
>"If you'd wait outside, I'll get out." I said.<br>"Oh, I don't know. I'm quite happy here." He said, as he lounged on the sofa he was on. I glared at him, but he didn't budge.  
>"Why won't you leave me alone?" I asked, turning around so my back was to him.<br>"Did he get in your dreams again tonight?" I wasn't surprised that he ignored my question, but I was surprised by the... concern... I heard in his voice.  
>"You know what, screw this." I said, standing up. He'd seen me naked before anyway. I managed to surprise him. His eyes widened, and he looked away, thankfully. I grabbed my towel, and wrapped up in its supreme fussiness, I gathered my clothes and left the bathroom. I wasn't going to stay for any longer than I needed to.<p>

**A/N:** Again, trying to make up for the length of time between updates _

Milk and cookies this time belong to the guest who reviewed :3


	15. Advice

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Ice**

I couldn't be involved in getting this necklace to him. In any form. I frowned as I stared at the innocent looking parcel sitting on top of my desk. I could just owl it to him. Use one of the school owls. But they might figure out it was me. All I'd need would be for one person to see me sending a mysterious package via owl, and it would be over for me.  
>I could just use the imperius curse on someone. But that could, again, be traced back to me quite easily.<br>It was going to be difficult to figure out what I was going to do exactly. But, when it comes down to it, I've really got all year to get it done.  
>Rolling over so that my head was buried in my pillows, I tried to get Ginny out of my head. Why couldn't I stop thinking about her? She'd tortured me. I knew that she'd hex me again, if given half a chance.<br>Okay, so she's beautiful. From her pale skin, deliciously sprinkled in freckles, to her bright red hair. But so were other girls. There was a seventh year Ravenclaw who every guy in Hogwarts lusted after. I'd had her once or twice, when Pansy was sulking. She wasn't half bad, though not the brightest Ravenclaw in the tower.  
>Why did I see her face when I closed my eyes? I couldn't go to sleep without being plagued by images of her. Usually images of her delicious naked skin, flushed as I trailed kisses from her lips, down her neck, between her breasts, and down further.<br>I knew that the very idea of it was impossible. I would never have her. I firmly refused to have women against their will. And the muggle's hell will freeze over before she ever looks at me with anything but hatred. So what if I saved her life? Heck, more than once, really. I would still be the soon of two death eaters. I'd still be part of the pure blood family that looks down their nose at her entire family. I'd still be the boy that her precious Harry Potter loathes.  
>I punched my pillow for a few minutes, hoping to relieve some of my tension, but it didn't work. I had been trying to fall asleep for the past hour, but when I wasn't thinking about Ginny, I was wondering how to get that damned necklace to him.<br>I gave up, eventually, and went to the prefects bathroom. It was very much relaxing to have a bath. Though I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't hoping that she might be there. Why it was always her that I bumped into was beyond me. There are other prefects. Heck, somehow that looney person who's her friend is a prefect. Not to mention her idiot of a brother.  
>Well, she wasn't in the bath, so I derobed, and slipped in myself. The hot water was soothing, and I relaxed as I struck out. I usually just sat in a corner, and let the hot water wash my troubles away. However, something had me striking out, and swimming laps. Maybe I needed to get rid of the tension that filled me.<br>Whatever it was, I came up with an idea.  
>After I finished my bath, I slipped out, and got dressed, disappointed that she hadn't come in, this entire time that I'd been here. It was probably a good thing, though. For her, at least. This meant she wasn't having nightmares. That he wasn't in her dreams. So I couldn't begrudge her a bath free night. Though I wouldn't mind seeing her. Just to be reminded of her beauty. Even if I couldn't do anything about it.<br>Blaise was in my room, waiting for me. He was studying the parcel on my desk, but he turned his attention to me when the door clicked closed behind me.  
>"That it?" He asked. I nodded. Blaise knew about my task. I sat down on the edge of my bed. "How are you going t get it to him?"<br>"I'm going to need your help on that." I said.  
>"On one condition." How very Blaise.<br>"What?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.  
>"Tell me what's wrong." He said. I frowned.<br>"What do you mean?"  
>"Draco, we were milk brothers, for fucks sake. You sucked on my mother's tit. I know when something's going on with you." Somehow, his response made me laugh. Sure, I'd heard it before, but it always made me smile.<br>"Okay, you're right." I said. And he was. There was more than just getting the pendant to him that was on my mind.  
>"I... I think I like Ginny Weasley." I said. There. That was the brunt of my problem. "She's been plaguing my thoughts."<br>"Why?" And so I told him everything.  
>"Sounds to me like you like her because you feel like you're responsible for her torment, and you can't stand seeing people in pain." He said. I hadn't thought of it like that before.<br>"Look, Draco, you've never been able to stand to see someone in pain. You are in pain when you see someone else in pain, ever since you saw me, that night. And because you feel like you're responsible for her pain, you feel you need to make up for it somehow."  
>I nodded. He was certainly making sense.<br>"Any way I can get her out of my head?"  
>"Draco, I'm not a psychiatrist. I have no idea what will get her out of your head. Though, if I had to guess... I'd say give her something nice. Something that will make her happy, so you don't feel guilty any more."<p>

**A/N:** Thanks to another guest (Or maybe the same one, I don't really know xD) for a review. Seriously, guys, reviews make my day :D Hopefully the next chapter should be up soon. I seem to be on a roll here.


	16. Lightning

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Fire**

It was the first trip to Hogsmeade... Well, the first official one, where everyone can go, and I was looking forward to it. Dean and I were going, on a date. It was the first time we'd actually have a chance to spend any time together properly since we'd come back. I hadn't even had a chance to see him over the holidays - He'd been in Ireland with Seamus. Not that I begrudged him some quality time with his best friend. Though he could have at least sent an owl or two. I'd gone the whole Summer without word from him. Which really didn't help, when I was already going through things.  
>I spent more time than usual in front of the mirror. I put on some makeup, which I usually never use. Just some foundation, which made sure my freckles didn't stand out quite so much, a little blush, and a little bit of Mascara to make my eyes really pop. I'd had to learn to do my own makeup, when I was little. Mum wasn't a huge fan, and Merlin knows that none of my brothers would dare help me. The only makeup that had been in the house was ancient, gifts from my Grandma to Mum, when she'd been a teenager. Not that Mum had been big on makeup then, either, so thankfully the kit was at least unused.<br>There had been magical makeup in there, as well, but I preferred doing it the muggle way, when I went to the trouble. If I was going to go to mthe effort to wear makeup, I might as well do it properly. I'd even done Hermione's makeup, a couple of years ago, when she went to the Yule Ball with Krumb. Ron had been so jealous, and Hermione and I had giggled about it afterwards. THat was, of course, before Hermione began to actually look at Ron on her own. Merlin only knows what she sees in him. I mean, he's my brother and all, but he's an idiot, and not exactly pleasing on the eye.  
>I wore some old jeans and a shirt that was so big on me it came down to my knees. Sadly, they were my best fitting clothes. Sighing, I went downstais, and found I was the first person in the great hall. Sitting down, I had a few pieces of toast, and a couple of bits of bacon, amazing at how much I was eating now that my dreams weren't so horrible.<br>The hall slowly began to fill up, and naturally the talk on everyone's lips (well, everyone who wasn't in their first or second year) was the Hogsmeade Trip. The thrid years were bouncing in their seats, their meals barely touched, and it was more than obvious that they were looking forward to butterbeers, and all that Honeydukes had to offer. Sure, Voldemort might be back, but they were getting out of the school for the day. The excitement in the air was palpable.  
>Dean was one of the last Gryffindors down. When he sat down next to me, he slipped his arm around my shoulders, and leaned in to give me a quick kiss. I flushed, under my makeup, and was glad that Ron wasn't down yet. So far, when it came to my dating, he'd proved to be unhappy with my choices. No matter how much he'd liked them before they'd started to date me. I can't blame him, though. Not really. I mean, if I had a little sister, I'm sure I'd be a bit wary of anyone dating her. Not that that's ever going to happen.<br>After breakfast, we joined the queue of people going to Hogsmeade. The third years were the first to go in, as a tradition on their first trip to the wizarding village, so we had to line up behind them, while they got their permission forms checked by Professor McGonagall. Once the third years were gone, almost everyone else started to run to the gates, anxious to get out and enjoy their free time. Dean and I just set off at a leisurely pace. We weren't the last people out of the Hogwarts gate, but we were by no means the first.  
>The path down to Hogsmeade was a winding one, and we made our way down through the crisp snow. Last night had been the first snow of the year, and already it was a nice romantic setting. Dean and I walked hand in hand, and we went straight to Honeydukes. We stocked up on sweets (well, Dean did. I just bought a packet of droobles, and a sugar quill.) Despite Dean's insistance to buy me a whole tray full of sugar quills, I refused him, and we went to the Three Broomsticks, to spend the rest of our day together.<br>There was a tea shop around here somewhere, which was apparently very romantic, but Harry had had a bad experience there last year, with Cho, so I didn't really feel like going there. And, let's face it, the **Hogs Head** was kind of... Disgusting.  
>The three broomsticks was, unsurprisingly, full. Of teachers, and students, as well as the townspeople of Hogsmeade, who were out for their usual drink at the pub. I noticed that a couple of the slightly older students were buying firewhiskey. Madam Rosmerta wasn't on, and the lady who was apparently didn't care to check ID's. I tutted, and just ordered a butterbeer. Dean looked eagerly at a firewhiskey that passed by us, and ordered one. I made a face at that, but he ignored me.<br>While we waited for our drinks to arrive, we hugged, and kissed. Dean had never been a huge talker. Which was almost all Michael and I had ever done. Sure, it kind of got on my nerves sometimes that all we ever seemed to do was make out, but considering Michael and I had kissed a grand total of five times, over the year or so we'd been dating, I wasn't about to complain.  
>I noticed Ron getting annoyed at our public displays of affection, but that was just Ron, so I put it out of my head, and just concentrated on kissing Dean back to the best of my ability.<br>After a while, we decided to start going back. Or, rather, I did. Deans firewhiskey had come. And after he'd downed it, he'd ordered another two. His kissing grew sloppy, and he started to paw at my breasts, so I decided to make my exit. When I left, he was busy talking to a Hufflepuff girl, who seemed to be inviting him to do more than talk to her.  
>It's okay, Gin, he's just drunk. He wouldn't do that when sober. And so what if he talked to her? Obviously he doesn't like her, or he wouldn't be talking.<br>I wrapped my old jumper around me, and set off towards the school alone. Most people who were headed that way were in pairs, or, as the case of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who I knew were just a little bit behind me, threes.  
>I stopped suddenly when I heard a scream, and spun around fast, my heart in my throat, eyes wide. Katie Bell, one of the other chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, was floating in the air. I ran towards her, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione, did the same thing, from the other side of them. We reached her about the same time, and she fell to the ground, apparently having some sort of fit.<br>While the trio were busy staring at the package in her gloved hands, which could be the only possible thing to be making this happen, I got to my knees beside her, and started casting as many spells as I could think of. One of them finally seemed to work and her fit calmed down, before she passed out. Hagrid was with us by then, and he picked her up.  
>"Good spell work, Ginny." He said to me, as he ordered Harry to pick up the package, but be careful to only touch the wrapping. Harrdid so, and we all made our way up to the castle, with Katie's friend, who had tears falling down her face silently, as she appeared to be in shock.<br>After the questioning, where I earned fifty points for Gryffindor for reacting fast, and possibly saving Katie's life with my spell which had subdued her fit, we all made our way up to the common room, minus Katie, her friend, and Hagrid. Hagrid went back to his hut, while Katie and her friend were administered to Madame Pomfrey's care. Unsurprisingly, Katie's friend was suffering from shock.  
>In the common room, I parted from the trio, who were busy blaming Malfoy - not that he could have done it. I knew for a fact that he was in detention today, for not handing in his Ancient Runes translations. I knew for a fact that he'd done them. We'd even helped each other. But somehow, he must have misplaced the parchment between the time he'd worked on them and the class, so he was in detention.<br>The trio knew that he was in detention, two. Professor McGonagall had been the one who was supervising him, as he cleaned the potions classroom the muggle way, and had told them as much when they accused him in front of her. But they still believed that he must have had something to do with it somehow. As good as they were, the trio got a lot wrong.  
>Rather than listen to all of the reasons that pointed towards Malfoy being the one who had put Katie under the imperius curse, I made my way up to the fifth year girls dormitory. Sure, I was technically in my sixth year, but I was still in the fifth year dormitory. Which, I'll admit, I'm not sad about. I wouldn't want to listen to Lavender Brown's constant talk about my brother, any more than I'd want to sit with Hermione and be quizzed on exactly what I'd done in my previous four years that had had me boosted ahead a year, when she was still in her right year.<br>When I got to the dormitory, I was surprised to see a package on my bed. It was long, taking up the entire length of the bed, and thin enough that despite its rectangular shape, there was really only one thing I could possibly see fitting in it.  
>I unwrapped the plain, brown paper. Inside was a box. Nervously, I lifted up the lid. And there it was.<br>A Lightning. Manufactured earlier this year, the Lightning was a brand new style of broomstick, and apparently broom makers were going to be hard pressed to ever make a better one.  
>The only problem about them is that they cost so much, that even famous quidditch players would be hard pressed to be able to afford one. They had to do with firebolts, as the next best thing, instead, most of the time. I knew for a fact, that even Victor Krum, the famous Romanian Seeker, would have to bet on several games, and win every bet, before he could hope to be able to afford one.<br>This Lightning was made out of **willow**, the same wood as my wand. One of the key parts of the Lightning, was that every inch of it was filled with magic. Inside the core of the broomstick, was a single phoenix feather. Sewn around the base of the bristles, were black dragon scales. And the handle was pure unicorn horn. Every flying spell in existance had been cast upon it, and woven in with the bristles were owl feathers. Though not particularly magical on their own, due to their relationship to the magical community, as pets, and deliverers of mail, owl feathers could offer protection, speed, and extra height on a broom.  
>I stared at it in shock. It couldn't possibly be on the right bed. Maybe Harry had ordered one, and somehow the owl had got mixed up. Or someone else who came from a rich family, and was interested in brooms. Though I knew I should really take it down to Harry, my curiosity got the better of myself. I reached in to touch the broomstick. As soon as my finger touched it, the broom leapt out of the box, and I pulled my hand away, as I remembered the other key feature of the Lightning. To protect against thieves, and to offer extra protection, when ordering one you needed to include a strand of hair, plucked from your head. The broom makers would add your hair to the broom, and without your strict permission, no one else would be able to ride it without something very bad happening to them (being thrown off, suddenly bursting into flames... The broom was indestructible, but the rider wasn't).<br>I expected the broom to attack me. Maybe start hitting me. Instead, it hovered a few feet above the ground. Just at the right height for me to be able to swing my leg over.  
>My jaw fell open as I realised what this meant. The broom was meant for me. I scrambled in the base of the box quickly, and came out with a card.<br>To Ginny,  
>It may be indestructable, but you aren't. Ride it carefully.<br>I'm sorry  
>The writing was unfamiliar, and I stared at it for several minutes, wondering who could possibly send me such an expensive present.<br>"Woah, is that what I think it is?" I spun around to see that Hermione was in my room, staring at the broom that was hovering beside me. "It can't be." She reached out and snapped the card I was holding up, and read it quickly. "You need to take it to Professor McGonagall." She said quickly.  
>"What?" I asked.<br>"It could be cursed! It could be from You-Know-Who! You can't know."  
>"It's not from Voldemort." I said, irritably.<br>"How would you know?" Typically, her hands were on her hips. "Harry heard what Professor Dumbledore told you, about the dream magic. Voldemort's been getting in your mind, in your dreams, to torture you. What's to say that now that he can't do that, he hasn't sent you a cursed broom?"  
>"First of all, it's impossible to curse a Lightning. Secondly, that's not his handwriting."<br>"You know what his handwriting looks like?" She asked, before realising what I meant. "It could have changed! Or someone else could have written it for him. Christ, that was the diary he wrote when he was seventeen, Ginny. Besides, I've read about these. He might not have been able to curse the broomstick, but he could have given it permission to let you ride it, and he could revoke his permission at any time, which would result in the broom bucking you off, or bursting into flames. If he desires it to, he can have it kill you."  
>"Fine. Take it to Professor McGonagall then." I snapped, and turned away, throwing the packaging off of my bed. Great, the first amazing thing that had ever happened to me, and she had to ruin it. "Down." I said. The broom lowered itself down into the box, and Hermione packed it up.<br>"I'm sorry, Ginny." She said, as she paused by the dormitory door. "But you saw what just happened to Katie. You shouldn't have even opened the package in the first place. We just don't want you to get hurt." I slammed the door shut behind her, with magic, and thankfully, was left alone for the rest of the evening.  
>I didn't go down for dinner. I didn't feel like it after the events of the day. Instead, I lay on my bed, blowing bubbles, while I wondered if Hermione was right. If the broom had been sent by Voldemort... I shuddered at the very idea. But then, who else would send me such an expensive gift? Who else had the means to send me the gift?<br>And what was with the note?  
>I had trouble falling asleep, again, despite the soothing sounds of the other three girls sleeping softly. Instead, I gave up, and made my way to the prefects bathroom. Why I still went there, when Malfoy ended up annoying me most of the time, I don't know. But the big bath was a lot more relaxing than the tiny tub in the normal bathrooms. And it was nice to swim a few laps sometimes.<p>

**A/N: **I've had a few reviews, but my internet's a bit iffy at the moment (plus I'm really tired, and not in a good mood, because of home drama) so I won't really get into who deserves all the milk and cookies, but you know who you are :3


	17. Bad Days

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Ice**

When a second year came to the potions calssroom to whisper something in Professor McGonagalls ear, I'd thought that everything had gone right. For once. She'd gone pale, and snapped at me to pack up and go enjoy my day. And I'd done exactly what she told me to. I packed up the muggle cleaning supplies, not that I'd really used them, according to McGonagall, who told me several times over the three hours I'd been waiting here that I wasn't doing it right.  
>With everything packed away, I grabbed my bag, and went straight to my room. I couldn't wait to go to dinner tonight and hear that everything had gone according to plan. Then I'd be able to relax for the rest of the year.<br>But the necklace had only been part one of what I'd done today. I was also looking forward to seeing how part two would turn out. I'd seen Ginny going to Hogsmeade with Dean - oh, how I wanted to tell her what he'd done with Pansy when I saw him with his arm around her shoulders. Or, better yet, just punch him in the face. Instead, I took the package my owl had sent to me and made my way to the Gryffindor common room, with a first year Slytherin girl.  
>I knew about the spell on the girls stairs, so I paid the first year a sickle to take the package up for me. I'd spent a lot of money on that. Blaise had called me crazy when I told him what I'd planned to buy her. He told me that I should go for a firebolt, or the latest Nimbus, if I wanted to get her a broom. Or, better yet, in his opinion, some glasses that didn't make her look so old fashioned. Or maybe some clothes that hadn't been worn by her six older brothers.<br>But the moment he'd told me t buy something for her, I knew that I had to go all out if I wanted to not feel guilty.  
>When the Slytherin girl had come back from delivering the package, I thanked her, and let her go on her way. The Fat Lady guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor common room glared at me when I left, but I shrugged it off. I'd told her the right password, after all, and she hadn't been able to keep me out.<br>Feeling better than I had in ages, I ate lunch at the Great Hall. As usual, Pansy was sitting on some random boys lap. Usually it was Crabbe, but he had detention with Flitwick today, so instead she had draped herself across a seventh year Hufflepuff's lap. I really couldn't care less, though I knew the entire thing was aimed at me.  
>I saw her looking my way several times during my lunch. She was trying to not make it obvious, but it couldn't have been any more so. She fed the horny and confused Hufflepuff tit bits (when I say that, I mean bits of food that she pulled out of her bra) and tried to catch my eye as she did it, usually feeling herself up in the process.<br>After lunch, I went back to my room. Blaise was there, waiting to hear how everything had gone. I told him about McGonagall excusing me early, and he smiled with me, hoping as much as I was that that was all that needed to be done.  
>Then we went to dinner, and found out just how wrong we were. But then again, I guess that if it were this easy to kill him, Voldemort would have done it years ago.<br>Instread, I found out, that one of the Gryffindor quidditch team had nearly died. I frowned at that. I had to kill one person, but I wasn't happy with killing anyone else. Apparently, though, she'd only barely touched it through her glove, and Ginny had been there to save her.  
>"Oh no." Blaise said, when he met my eyes after I'd heard that.<br>"What?" I asked, deliberately looking away from his eyes.  
>"Nothing, never mind." He said, looking away. I frowned at him, but put it behind me. Looking over at the Gryffindor table, I hoped to see the same spalsh of red that I'd been watching almost every night now. But she wasn't there.<br>I furrowed my brows, and looked up and down the big long table. There was her brother, and his two idiot friends. And the Longass idiot. There was that cheating prick she was dating, talking to, surprise surprise, Parvarti Patil, who was the only whore in Hogwarts I hadn't had, and that was because she didn't do Slytherins, any more than I did Gryffindors.  
>But she wasn't there.<br>Well, I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out if that part of today's plan had worked like it was supposed to. I crossed my fingers under the table, hoping that I'd be able to put her out of my mind for good when I saw how happy she was with her new broomstick.  
>As it turned out, I wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow. I made my way to the prefects bathroom, and there she was, soaking up the milky water, her eyes closed, her head leaning back against the edge of the pool. I watched her for a few minutes, but she didn't move. She must have been asleep. I was derobing, and slipping into the pool before I had even half a chance to second guess the idea that had suddenly crossed my mind. The water was milky, and I knew that there was no way she'd be able to see anything below my belt, any more than I could see her pale, unfreckled breasts, or the patch of fiery red hair that I knew hid something that made my dick ache whenever I thought of it.<br>She woke up when I had settled down on the edge of the bath near her. Not next to her. Not overly close to her. Just near enough that I could see the short, red lashes which framed her gorgeous brown eyes, as they fluttered open to look at me.  
>"Oh, great, the ferret's come to make my day even worse." She grumbled, as she slid along the bench away from me. "Why did you get in the water, ferret? Can't you sit on the sofa, like you usually do when you feel the need to interrupt my relaxation?" She crossed her arms across her chest, as if the milky water didn't do enough to hide her meagre breasts.<br>"Well, I figured that I'd rather actually have a bath, for once. And if the only way I could do that is by joining yours, then I guess I'll just have to seize the opportunity."  
>"Oh, great. So rather than asking me nicely to finish up, you decide to impede on my time." Ginny rolled her eyes at me, before turning away.<br>"So what's made your day so bad?" I asked. Oh please tell me the first year had got the right bed. Maybe someone else opened it, and she was in trouble for what the Lightning did to them, when they touched it.  
>"Like you give a shit, Ferret." She said, with enough venom in her voice to kill a giant.<br>"Hey, I asked, didn't I?" I was on the defensive holding my hands up. She could be so mean to me, yet I still couldn't get her out of my head. What's wrong with me?  
>"You want to know? Fine. First off, my stupid boyfriend got drunk and asked me to blow him, in a public place. Second, my friend, and fellow Gryffindor chaser gets cursed with that stupid necklace, right in front of me. Then, apparently Voldemort's targeting me again?" She glared at me. "Happy, now?" She practically spat.<br>"What? What do you mean Voldemort's targeting you again?" I was going to have to deal with that dickhead of a boyfriend of hers.  
>"You know what? Fuck you." Ginny said, and she splashed me hard. When I opened my eyes again, blinking away the excess moisture from the milky bath, she had a towel wraped around her body, and she was walking out, with her clothes bundled up in one hand, and her wand gripped tightly in the other.<br>I blinked after her, wondering what I'd said wrong. My attempt to relax completely blown apart, I went back to my room, in a bad mood. My fucking plan hadn't worked out the way I'd wanted it to, and now he is targetting Ginny again. And I know that it's all my fault.  
>I kicked my bed in my frustration, and honestly contemplated calling Pansy in. I knew that she'd come running, but through my furstration, I knew that it wouldn't help me, in the long run, to call her. So, instead, I just laid down on my bed, staring moodily at the ceiling.<p>

**A/N:** Sorry it's not as long as the last chapter, or up the next day, like I've been doing lately. But still, better than waiting ten months, right? :3 Thanks to all of my reviewers again. Especially Katereena :3 And for Marinka - The canon will break, eventually, but for the most part, I am trying to keep it in canon.


	18. Cheater

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Fire**

I was busy reading a book for History of Magic in the Gryffindor Common Room when Dean found me. When I saw him, my jaw dropped.  
>"What happened to you?" I asked, jumping up, and letting him have my seat, befre pulling my wand out, and starting to fix some of his minor injuries. "Why didn't you go to the Hospital Wing?"<br>"That's where the dickhead is." He groaned.  
>"This is going to hurt." I warned him, as I started to set his broken ribs, and broken wrist. "Now, what happened? Who did this?"<br>"Draco fucking Malfoy." He said. I frowned. "I was just minding my own business, when he came up to me and fucking punched me." I cast a few healing spells on his black eye.  
>"I'm not great at these, so it might still hurt." I said. "So, what happened next?"<br>"Well, I attacked him back, duh." He rolled his eyes at me and winced as I accidentally prodded his eye with my wand. "His stupid idiot friend Zabini pulled me off of him, and he ran off like a little baby to the Hospital Wing. I managed to give that retard a black eye, before he let go of me. Then he went off to the Hospital Wing as well."  
>He was silent for a while after that as I finished fixing him up.<br>"What brought that on?" I asked, finally.  
>"How the fuck am I supposed to know? He was probably in some stupid bad mood and just wanted to take it out on someone. Hey, babe, just forget about it. Thanks for fixing me up." He pulled me onto his lap, and kissed me.<br>I pulled away though. "He's not the kind of person to just attack you for no reason." I frowned. "Did you do something?"  
>"Babe, I didn't do nothing. Just forget about it." I resigned, and kissed him back. He moved his hand from my hip, up to my breast, and began to squeeze. I squirmed, after a while, when he began to squeeze too hard, and tried to pull away, but his other hand was around my waist, holding me closer to him.<br>"Stop." I finally managed to break away from him, putting my hands up between us. "I'm not ready for that yet." I told him, frowning. He knew I wasn't ready.  
>"It's okay babe." He said, kissing my neck, while I squirmed on his lap, trapped by his arms. "I'll be gentle."<br>"No." I said, breaking out of his arms, and standing up, taking a step away from him. "Dean, I don't want this. Not yet." I shook my head. He stood up.  
>"What do you mean? We've been going out for months, now, babe." He said, glaring at me. "I didn't have to wait this long with Parvarti."<br>"You never told me you had sex with Parvarti." My eyes widened, and I stepped further away from him. "You know what? You can take your lying ass and just go fuck yourself." I turned around, and stomped up the stairs to my room. The effect was ruined when he tried to follow me, and the stairs turned to a slide beneath me. I managed to grab hold of the rail before I fell all the way down. If I couldn't stomp my way upstairs, I could at least not have to be forced to go back downstairs.  
>I used the rail to drag myself up to the next floor, which was the sixth years. Parvarti was there, spelling her hair flat.<br>"Hi Ginny." She smiled at me. I glared at her, wondering when they'd done it. They'd never officially been going out. Not that I knew of. Dean had certainly never mentioned it. Had he cheated on me, as well as lied?  
>"What's wrong?" She asked, when I didn't say anything. I wanted to throw myself at her, kicking and screaming, but I held off. I'm sure Dean hadn't cheated on me. He'd probably just omitted the fact.<br>"When?" I managed to ask. She frowned, and tilted her head to one side, all the while her wand moving up and down her hair, as she spelled it flat.  
>"What do you mean?" She asked.<br>"When did you... And Dean..." Her eyes answered my question. I brought my hand to my mouth, and spun around, leaving the sixth year dormitory.  
>And completely forgetting about the stairs being a slide. I slipped down to the common room, and punched Dean, right in the face, while he tried to stop me - to talk to me. I left the Common room quickly, and started walking.<br>I don't know where I was planning to go. I don't think I had any real plans. In the end I found myself in the prefects bathroom.  
>"Maybe we should work out a knocking system." The snarky voice statled me, and I looked down to see that Malfoy was floating in the water, looking at me. I glared at him.<br>"Could you please quit your attitude for once?" I asked, blinking tears from my eyes. I couldn't cry in front of him. I would cry in front of Dean, before I cried in front of the flying ferret.  
>"What's wrong?" He slipped out of the tub, obviously not ashamed of his body. I blushed, and looked away quickly, while he wrapped a towel around himself, and moved to sit next to me.<br>"What's wrong with you?" I questioned back. "Why did you have to hit Dean?"  
>"Because he cheated on you." He said, point blank. I stared at him, openly, my jaw dropped.<br>"How the fuck did you know about Parvarti?" I asked.  
>"Parvarti? I was talking about Pansy."<br>"PANSY? Your fucking skank?" I was furious all over again. He hadn't only cheated on me once. Oh no. Apparently, he'd cheated on me twice. FUCKING TWICE. He could have cheated on me more, for all I know.  
>I couldn't help the tears. Before I knew it, he'd wrapped an arm around me, and was stroking my arm in a soothing manner. For the moment, I didn't even care that he was a stupid, repulsive, evil brutish Slytherin. He was offering comfort, which I sorely needed. I leaned into him, crying desperately into his chest.<br>I hadn't realised he smelled so good before. Of course he smelled good. He'd just gotten out of a bath. There was a light smattering of pale blonde hair on his chest, plastered against his pale skin now, from the water in the bath, and from my tears.  
>"You deserve better than him." He said. I pulled away from him, slowly, slipping his arm off of me. "You okay?" He asked me. I turned to look at him. What was wrong with him? Why was he so different, all of a sudden? Why was he being nice to me?<br>I don't know what came over me, but I leaned forwards, and planted my lips firmly on his. He seemed surprised, but he kissed me back, before wrapping his arms around my waist. I wrapped my own around his neck, and deepend the kiss. His tongue pressed against my lips, requesting permission, and I opened them, letting his in, to explore.  
>I pulled away from him suddenly, and looked up into his surprised grey eyes.<br>"What is wrong with me?" Tears in my eyes again, I got up, and ran.  
>"Wait, Gin-" The door to the bathroom closed behind me, and I ran away from the kiss, and from the snarky boy who had been plaguing me all year.<p>

**A/N: **Sorry for the shortish chapter. Thank you all for your amazing reviews. Milk and cookies. And I seriously love hearing what you guys think. :3 Makes my day. Hope you enjoy. ~ Working on the next chapter already :3


	19. Quibbler

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Ice**

I pressed my fingers to my lips. It had been an hour since she'd kissed me, but I could still taste her mouth. I could still feel the need with which she'd kissed me, wrapping her arms around my neck to pull me closer to her.  
>I was lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. That kiss had been everything I'd wanted. Everything I'd missed when I kissed Pansy, or any other girl. There had been an electricity that had gone through me, from the very moment her lips had pressed against mine.<br>"Anything you can do about this- Draco!" Blaise snapped his fingers at me, waking me from my reverie. I sat up, and looked at him. He was sitting at my desk, with a very nasty black eye.  
>"Sorry, bud." I said, quickly healing it.<br>"What's up?" He asked me. I looked away. I knew he wouldn't be happy withwhat had happened. My avoidance answered his question. "Shit." He said. "Shit, shit, shit." He moved over to sit on my bed. "Tell me about it." And so I did. I told him about how she'd started crying, and how I'd tried to comfort her. And how she'd kissed me.  
>"Draco, you've got to snap out of it." He said. "You know that nothing can happen." I sighed. I knew he was right. Nothing could ever happen between us. Just because I might want something, doesn't make it even remotely possible.<br>"Look, I know." I said, leaning back. "I know. I just... Fuck it. I'm crazy about this girl. I love her. When I thought Voldemort was targetting her again... It nearly killed me."  
>"Can't you just give in, and spend the night with Pansy?"<br>"What the fuck will that do?"  
>"It might get her out of your head for a bit. Masturbating might be a part of your problem?"<br>"No, my problem is that this girl is amazing, and because of me, she's in trouble, and could potentially die, or..." I gulped.  
>"Or?" Blaise raised a brow at me.<br>"Well, when he was breaking into her dreams, he seemed like he was trying to... Rape her." I shuddered at the thought.  
>"Look, it's out of your hands now. Besides, those glasses will keep her safe."<br>"What?" I asked, frowning. "What do you mean?"  
>"Those ridiculously dorky glasses? They're spelled."<br>"How?" I hadn't noticed that. They just looked stupid and old fashioned.  
>"She doesn't really need them. But as long as she wears them during her days, she won't dream at night. So Voldemort can't come into her dreams."<br>"How do you know about this?" Blaise rolled his eyes.  
>"Don't you read the Quibbler?" I blinked. The name ringed a bell, but I couldn't think of what it was, off the top of my head. "Lovegood's paper? His daughter has a segment in it, where she talks about her friends." He sighed, and pulled his wand out, before summoning his copy of the quibbler. "Here." He said.<br>The magazine was new, and according to the date had come out yesterday. I had to flip through several pages of nonsense before I found Lovegood's picture. She was smiling dreamily, wearing Ginny's glasses. I skimmed the article quickly.  
>"You sure this is credible? Looney's... Well, Looney."<br>"Luna's not that looney." Blaise said, defensively, and I raised an eyebrow at his defensiveness, but I didn't push it. "She just sees things differently than most people."  
>"So the crumple horned whatsits... You've seen them?"<br>"Okay, so she sees things very differently than most people. And she might be wrong." Blaise shrugged. "But I'm betting that as long as she's wearing those glasses, she's safe." That certainly made me feel calmer.  
>"So, tell me about her." I prodded. Blaise looked at me, and smiled. It must have been a huge weight off of his chest, to let me know that he liked her. And so he began to tell me all about her. He'd first really talked to her in one of the Slug Club's meetings. How she'd gotten in that is kind of beyond me, but oh well.<br>"You know, your dad wouldn't be happy with her." I pointed out after a while.  
>"I know. But... Well, she is a pureblood." He looked at me. "And not a blood traitor."<br>"I know." I sighed. "But I can't help it."  
>"I know. Believe me." He gave me a one armed hug, before leaving.<br>And then I was left to think.  
>Tomorrow was Halloween. And the first Quidditch match of the year. Slytherin versus Gryffindor. I was still the Slytherin seeker, and not that bad, either. Certainly the best broomsman in Slytherin team. The only person I ever seem to lose against is Potter. He's got freaky skills when it comes to being a seeker.<br>I went down to breakfast, and I was busy thinking. I knew I really should be working on what I had to do... Rather than quidditch. Besides, I couldn't face seeing her today. Not after the kiss.  
>I waited for everyone to go down to the game, then I went towards the Room of Requirement.<br>I walked three times its length, thinking about what I needed. A place to think, uninterrupted. When the door appeared before me, I opened it, and went in.  
>Inside looked like a shop more than somewhere quiet for me to think. I frowned. There were many piles of things that were all completely unrelated. I started walking down one aisle. There was a stack of old broomsticks. A mountain, almost.<br>After a while of wandering, I found my inspiration.  
>It was an old potion cauldron, and I wondered how I hadn't thought of it before. Of course. It was the perfect idea.<br>Lucky for me, it didn't take long to find a potions book, and even some ingredients, though not everything that I needed. I grabbed a sheet of paper, and scribbled down the ingredients I still needed to grab, before leaving. Everyone was still at the game. It was still going, then. I made my way down to the potions store room, and took the remaining ingredients.  
>I dropped the potion book, and all of the ingredients into the old cauldron I'd found, before going back to my room, with the torn out pages of the potion I was going to make wrinkled up in my pocket.<br>I wasn't the best at making potions, as Ginny had found out. I tend to read ahead, and I forget where I'm up to. I'm definitely going to need to concentrate to get this potion right. I absolutely wouldn't want to get it wrong.  
>Hmm.. Are poisons more or less deadly if you brew them incorrectly?<p>

**A/N: **Told you I was working on it already :D I just couldn't stop. Hope you enjoyed. And I didn't even give you lovelies a chance to review.


	20. Christmas (Part 1)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, places, or some of the story line. I also don't own the words. Well, there might be words here and there that have been made up, but I don't know what they are at the moment. When I do I'll point them out to you.

**Fire**

I wasn't looking forward to the Christmas break. It seemed to me like nothing good ever happened over Christmas. The year before I came to school my arm got badly burned when Mum, Dad, and I went to visit my brother Charlie, in Romania. My other older brothers were left at school, so while Mum, Dad, and Charlie talked, it was left to little ten year old me to go exploring.  
>Of course, Charlie had warned me not to go too far from his cabin. And, of course, I didn't listen. Why should I stay close to his cabin, where there aren't any dragons, when I could move away from his cabin, and see dragons? It was really a no brainer for me. I'd just left the circle of trees that defined the edge of his land. Inside that circle, were spells upon spells to keep dragons away. Outside, anything was possible.<br>I never thought I'd actually see a dragon. After all, even Charlie admitted that most of them tend to stay away from the cabins where he and his friends worked. But, of course, I didn't know about Norbert. Charlie had specifically left that part out when he told Mum and Dad about what he'd been doing. He didn't want Ron, or Harry and Hermione to get in trouble. (After all, Harry and Hermione had been the ones who had handed the crate with little baby Norbert over to him. Ron had been in the hospital wing, suffering from a dragon bite)  
>Norbert was used to people more than the other dragons were. Mostly the only time Charlie and his colleagues even sore dragons was when they were sick or injured. Then they'd care for them. Occassionally they'd find an egg, or a hatchling, all on its own. In that case, though, they'd usually find the nearest nest they knew of for that type of dragon, and hope that the mother of that nest would take in a new child.<br>Strangely enough, most dragons did that. Fascinating creatures. But, that's not part of how I got burned. Norbert had really only recently found his flame. He still couldn't fly properly yet, but because Hagrid had raised him, even for the short while he did, Norbert preferred to hang around Charlie's cabin. When I walked out of the circle of trees, Norbert was on the other side, breathing flame at the invisible circle of spells that he knew was keeping him from people.  
>I heard his crying, and of course I had to go and find him. I wasn't careful where I was walking, and I cracked several twigs. Norbert heard me before he saw me. Of course, he had no idea I was a person. He was expecting people to come from inside the circle, not outside. Besides, I was hidden by the trees. He just thought I was some yummy dear to eat up. Or something like that.<br>When I cried out, however, he stopped breathing fire at me. The look on his face would've broken my heart if I hadn't been screaming in pain from the burn on my arm, the only part of me that hadn't been hidden by a tree.  
>Charlie was the first to reach me. Being around dragons all of the time, of course he knew how to heal burns. Mine were healed in no time, and he chastised Norbert, for apparently running away from his nest again.<br>After the burn, Charlie promised to make it up to me by letting me help bring Norbert back to his nest. Mum and Dad were white at the idea, but after Charlie swore on his life that I wouldn't come back with so much as a singed hair, they let me go.  
>In my first year of Hogwarts, it wasn't so much Christmas itself that was bad, but the fact that I was being over come slowly by Tom Riddle's diary. How could a simple memory do such horrible things to me like that?<br>In my second year, I was too terrified of Sirius Black to be grateful for Christmas. Even the presents on the end of my bed didn't cheer me up after having the happiness sucked out of me by a dementor.  
>My third year wasn't too bad. I'd managed to attend the Yule Ball, after all, even though I was technically a year too young. I'd begged Neville to invite me. He couldn't get any girl his age or older, so of course he invited me. Mum fretted for months, nearly tearing her hair out when she realised I couldn't have hand me down robes from any of my brothers. She finally managed to find an ancient dress that belonged to her mother, and after fixing it up with some of her special home-y magic, so it didn't smell like moth balls, or look too out of date, and so that it fitted me properly, I didn't look half bad. Of course, I was no match for Hermione, in her gorgeous dress. I couldn't believe that Krum had asked her out!<br>My fourth year was only bad because I'd witnessed Harry and Cho, kissing under the mistletoe. It would have been great except for that.  
>And this year, I've got an event to go to, again. Slughorn's Christmas Party. Of course, I can't invite Dean. That cheater was currently going out with Padma Patil, and was going to the party with her. Luna had told me happily that Harry had invited her. I couldn't ask Hermione to go, just as friends, because she'd already invited McLaggen. And I couldn't invite Ron, as my brother, because he was the reason behind Hermione inviting McLaggen.<br>I was seriously considering just going by myself. Maybe I could just not go at all. I'd ask Neville, but he was apparently serving, and couldn't come with a date.  
>"So, you're going to the Slug's christmas party, I guess?" It was our last day of classes, and I was relieved at the minimal homework I had to do that afternoon with Malfoy.<br>"So, you're going to gate crash Slug's christmas party, I guess?" I retorted. Malfoy was absolutely furious that he wasn't apart of the Slug Club. Not that it was particularly great to be apart of, but I was more than happy to be a part of it just because he wasn't.  
>"Actually, I've been invited." He said, pompously, before packing his things up and leaving. That's a laugh. Who would invite him? But the, I guess, his best friend Zabini is in the Slug Club, too. So they could probably be going together as friends. If only I had another friend I could ask.<br>"Don't worry about dress robes, I can transform your spare robes to look dressy." I said, giving Colin my best puppy dog eyes. He laughed, and finally broke down, nodding.  
>"Fine, fine. I'll go with you to your stupid slug club." I grinned, and hugged him hard. Colin was a good friend, when he wasn't obsessing over Harry. Secretly, I think taht's why we make such a good team. I was completely obsessed with Harry my first year, and after that... Well, I just hid it better. Colin and I got along fabulously, once I wasn't being controlled by a memory.<br>"Great. Go get your spare robes, and I can work my magic." I said. While he was in his dormitory getting his spare robes, I wondered about what I was going to wear. I had my grandmother's old dress upstairs in my closet. After I got Colin's clothes changed I was going to work on that. Just chang the colour, and the pattern a bit. After all, I had grown since my third year. But what was I going to do with these glasses? Did I really want huge, fairly ugly glasses ruining my take-that-Dean night?  
>And I couldn't transform them myself. I needed to be able to see the object I'm transforming. I wonder if Hermione would transform them for me? I'll have to ask her later.<br>I quickly transformed Colin's dress robes, before going upstairs to do the same to mine. Hermione was in my dormitory, waiting for me.  
>"Tut tut." She said. "We have to start work on your dress if you don't want to be late."<br>"I know." I said. She was ready already. She looked amazing, in a lavender dress that brought out the highlights in her hair, which she'd spelled straight, and put up for the night. I grabbed my dress, and laid it out on the bed.  
>"Hey, when I've done my dress, do you think you could do my glasses for me?" I asked. "Something slim, and kind of... I dunno, modernish? Not as old fashioned as these?"<br>"Of course!" Hermione said, as if she was surprised that I needed to ask. I focused briefly on what I wanted to change my dress to, before transforming it. I'd gotten dressed countless times in the dark before, so I pulled my glasses off to hand to Hermione, expecting to need to get dressed with blurry vision, a hard, but not impossible feat.  
>I was surprised when I realised that I could see everything perfectly. Hermione was staring at my glasses, and my dress, obviously thinking about what to change the glasses into.<br>"Woah." I said.  
>"What's up?" Hermione asked, putting my glasses down to frown at me.<br>"I can see." Her eyes lit up.  
>"Maybe it was just a temporary thing." She said. "This will be great. Okay, put your dress on, then I'll do your hair and make up." Once upon a time, the thought of Hermione doing my hair and makeup would have terrified me. After all, she wasn't so great at it. But, she did come from the muggle world, and she was great with her spells. Besides, she lived in a dormitory with Lavender Brown, Parvarti Patil, and Romilda Vane. Without a doubt the three biggest Gryffindor sluts in history.<br>Before long, I looked great. I'd decided to make my dress silver. It was hard to choose a good colour that didn't clash horribly with my hair. The silver material shimmered in the light as I looked at myself in the mirror. The dress was low-cut, skimming just over the top of my breasts. From there it clung tight to my skin, clinching at the waist before falling from my hips, to reach the floor. I spun around, and the ripple of the fabric, with the light shining on it, made it look like a waterfall.  
>I'd been astounded in the last few monthss. I'd actually put on weight, and my breasts had grown. Not a whole lot, to be fair. From a b to a c. But my figure wasn't so plank-like any more.<br>Hermione did my hair expertly. It was in a complicated knot on the top of my head, with just my curly red bangs hanging down, to frame my face. And the makeup was subtle, but brilliant. My face looked smooth, and freckle-free. My eyes looked brighter. My cheeks had some colour. And my lips looked plump, and gorgeous. Over all, I'd say I looked pretty. Heck, I looked more than pretty. I looked beautiful.  
>For once in my life, I was happy with my appearance. I even had some jewelry to pull it all together. My family wasn't so rich as to afford gold. But we had some heirlooms, that Mum had been happy to lend me, plus a birthday present I hadn't really worn yet.<br>There was a silver chain link necklace, with a small diamond that hung just beneath my collar bone. Most people would call the diamond a speck. You had to look real close to see it. But I loved it. It had belonged to my grandmother, along with the dress.  
>To go with the necklace were matching earrings. Small silver chains fell down till they were only an inch above my shoulders, before ending in small diamond specks.<br>Lastly a small silver charm bracelet. It was the only thing I was wearing that was really mine. The bracelet itself had been given to me on my birthday, by my great aunt Murial, who was just so happy to have a girl born in the Weasley line. The charms were presents that I'd gotten on birthdays and christmases over the years. Colin had even bought me two of them. One was of a camera - him and his cameras! The other was a lightning bolt, because that's what really brought us together as friends.  
>Luna had given me one that was a small heart, that had the word friend carved in it in tiny letters. And Neville had nervously given me one as thanks for being his partner at the yule ball. A pair of ballet slippers. Harry had given me one after my first year. A book. I hadn't put it on right away. First because I was just staring at the box it had been sent to me in, too excited to open it, knowing that Harry Potter had bought me a present.<br>After that, it took me a while to realise that he'd meant it as a joke. In a light hearted way. Then I'd happily clasped it onto the bracelet.  
>After I put the charm bracelet on, it tinkled happily when I moved my wrist. Hermione smiled at me, before grabbing my bracelt-free wrist.<br>"Come on, we don't want to be late." She said, pulling me towards the door. "And if I get to the commen room early maybe I can just go without McLaggen." She said, under her breath, though I still heard her. I stifled my giggle, but followed her out.  
>I was feeling happier than I had in a long time. I'd been dream free for three months now. Dean was out of my life for good, that no-good-dirty-rotten-cheater. I no longer needed my glasses. And I looked absolutely beautiful.<br>Unfortunately for Hermione, McLaggen was in the common room when we got there. Colin was sitting down by the fire, as he waited for me. He saw me coming, and his mouth dropped open. Beneath my makeup I flushed red.  
>"You look... Wow." He said. I punched him lightly in the arm.<br>"Don't go getting the wrong idea." I said. "I like you as a friend, and I intend for it to stay that way." It was Colin's turn to flush.  
>"I didn't mean - I just meant that you look great." He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. Of course. Besides, I'd seen the looks Colin had sent towards Susan Bones. I might look good, but there was a different red head who he liked.<br>"You look amazing." McLaggen purred. I shuddered for Hermione, as he took her hand and kissed it. I saw her take it back quickly, and wipe it discreetly against her dress. I think he'd actually slobbered on her hand - ew.  
>The four of us went to the party together. McLaggen insisted on walking arm in arm with Hermione. Colin was just happy walking near me, at least, though I had to stay close to Hermione in case she needed any emergency rescuing from that slime ball.<br>They party wasn't anything like I'd been looking forward to. I had hoped that it might be like the Yule Ball, at least in part. Filled with couples dancing. Instead, it was mostly filled with people hanging around and talking. Oh well. I guess I can't have everything I might want.  
>I spotted Luna, alone, by the punch bowl, and went over to talk to her. Colin went with me. He wasn't that great with people he didn't really know. Luna, Colin, and I talked for a while, before McLaggen interrupted us.<br>"D'you know where Granger got to? She left me under the mistletoe wanting, that saucy minx." I shuddered at the thought. I thought I saw Hermione ducking behind some curtains, so I pointed him in the opposite direction.  
>"Look after him for a moment, would you?" I asked Luna, before leaving her and Colin alone, to chase Hermione.<br>I ducked under the curtain, and came face to face with Harry.  
>"Ginny." He said, taking a quick step back, which put his back up against the window.<br>"Harry." I smiled warmly at him. We hadn't had enough time to talk, in my opinion. That was one thing I could look forward to over Christmas. No Malfoy interrupting every time I tried to talk to Harry. "I thought I saw Hermione duck behind here."  
>"She was here, but she thought you were McLaggen, so she ducked out quickly." He said.<br>"Oh. So why are you behind here?" I asked.  
>"Hiding from Slughorn." Harry said. I nodded in sympathy. Slughorn wasn't too bad, but when you were one of his favourites, it could be a bit cloying. Especially if you were his especial favourite, which seemed to be the honour he reserved for Harry.<br>"And what, exactly, are the two of you up to?" I spun arouned, my heart in my throught, as I saw Snape behind us. I shouldn't feel so weird about being caught behind a curtain with Harry. After all, we were just friends. And it's not exactly like we were doing anything behind here. We weren't even that close.  
>"Just talking." Harry said, coolly. How he managed to keep his cool in front of Snape was completely beyond me. I knew how much he disliked Snape. I mean, wouldn't you?<br>"I see. Well, I trust that the both of you are aware that the party is not4 behind this curtain."  
>"Of course, Professor." I said, which made him look at me.<br>"Miss Weasley, if you don't mind, excusing Mister Potter and myself, so we might have a private word?" I nodded quickly, before ducking out. Whatever Snape wanted to talk to Harry about, I didn't particularly want to get caught in the middle of it.  
>Instead, I looked around for Luna. I couldn't find her anywhere. I spotted Colin, but he was talking to Susan Bones, and I didn't want to interrupt him. I managed to spot Dean, with Padma. He was glaring at me, and I made sure to look away quickly, as if I didn't care that I loioked great, while inside I was jumping for joy that I'd gotten a good reaction from him with my dress, and overall appearance.<br>There was a sudden commotion around the door, and I saw Filch barge through the door, with his hand tight around Malfoy's arm. Malfoy did not look happy.  
>A lot of people pushed past me to get a closer look, so I didn't really hear what the commotion was about, but I could guess.<br>I tried to push myself through, but it was over before I could, with Slughorn saying Malfoy could stay, and Malfoy storming out. Typical.

**A/N: **As always, all of my reviewers are amazing, but this one is especially for **icebabesfire **for reminding me that I had this chapter half finished and almost ready to post practically since I posted the last one xD


	21. Christmas (Part 2)

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Ice**

I had been looking around for a while, to find the best place to put the poison so that Dumbledore would actually drink it. I didn't want it to go to the wrong person again, after all. Since it was nearly Christmas, I had decided that the best way to give him the poison was as a gift. There was no way I could risk giving it to him from me. That would be the stupidest thing I could think of. No, I had to find a wine, or pumpkin juice, or something, that someone else was planning to give to him, and slip the poison in that. I'd practised doing it already, with different bottles, and water. Just to make sure I was able to get the lid on right so there was no way someone could tell it was tampered with.

It was the last day of school by the time I had my plan sorted. Madame Rosmerta informed me of Slughorn buying a special and expensive bottle of mead, with the intent to give it to Dumbledore. That sounded perfect. If there was one person I could trust to try and ingratiate himself on Dumbledore with splendid gifts, it was Slughorn. And if he was blamed for the poison, so much the better. He was hardly my favourite Professor, after all, and he certainly was no Snape.

I was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, though a lot of people weren't. People including Ginny. Ever since the kiss we'd shared, she'd been even harder to get out of my mind than she had been previously. It was utterly impossible. My resolve had stayed with me, and I'd managed not to take Pansy, or any other girl to my bed. I'd had to give myself relief a few times, drawing on memories of the kiss, but for the first time since I'd started thinking about her, I was hopeful. After all, _she_ had kissed _me_. Even if it had been the other way around, she had kissed me _passionately_. She'd been trying to get deeper into the kiss, just as I had. There was no way she'd be able to deny that.

She had been avoiding me a lot since the kiss, but that didn't get me down. The fact that she'd kissed me at all was a miracle. And I was determined that I was going to get a lot more than that one kiss out of her before I was done. For, finally, I had given in. I loved her. It didn't matter how, or how much she may detest me at times, or all the reasons I had for disliking her. Somehow, I loved her. And I was going to do everything I could to make her love me too.

I'd been eager to watch the second Quidditch match. It was Ravenclaw vs Gryffindor, so I didn't have to take part. I was in the stands, watching the Gryffindor door closely as they came out of the changing rooms. My heart sunk when I saw the broom that Ginny had been holding. It was the old Sweeper that she'd had since the beginning of the year. What had happened to the Lightning? That was when I realised the problem. She'd said that apparently Voldemort was targeting her again, even though there was no way that he could get into her dreams. She must have thought that he had sent her the broom. I wish I could tell her that it had been me, but I knew she wouldn't trust it any better.

Father had been outraged when I'd purchased that broom.. All he'd seen was a sizeable chunk of our fortune missing from Gringotts. Thankfully Mother stepped in, and claimed that she'd purchased a series of new dresses. She was always good for me. She had stepped in, in the past, and taken a lot of the beatings that had been meant for me. They'd worked more effectively than they ever had when Father had just beat me. Mother would hire a healer to fix me up when he healed me, and I'd just continue to do whatever it had been that had annoyed him in the first place. When he beat Mother, however, I would heal her when he was finished with her. Sometimes he'd left her on the brink of death. But still she never left him.

I could easily have been packed, and ready to spend my Christmas break with her. After all, it wasn't like my Father was ever going to interrupt much. He was always far to busy kissing Voldemort's arse, lately, to pay any attention to me. Though if I'd had news as bad as me flunking my OWLs, there was no chance I would have been able to get away without a beating. More likely, he would beat both of us. Perhaps, as the last time I had angered him, he would even break my wand before beating my Mother. So I had no way to heal her when he was finished wit her. He had bought me a new wand soon after, but Mother had still had to live with broken ribs, a black eye, and other injuries, besides, until then. That had been after I'd refused to kill Dumbledore, and get my mark.

But I was a coward. I couldn't bear to see the marks that Father had said he'd left on her, after my failed attempt. I knew that if I healed those marks, he would do worse to her, until finally I gave up on healing her. Instead of going home, and being faced with that heartbreaking choice, I stayed at Hogwarts, where I wouldn't have to see my Mother beaten and cowed, again.

It was the night of Slughorn's party when I put my plan into action. It seemed like the best time. The only time that he'd definitely be out of his room, and there would be almost no chance that anyone could catch me. Anyone who was anyone was going to be at the party, after all. Well, everyone but me. I hadn't been invited. I could have asked Blaise to invite me, but that would have been detrimental to my plan. I would have had to show up at the party, and then it would have been difficult to go missing. Well, I assumed that was the case. I was probably going to be so much of a nobody there, since I wasn't a part of the Slug Club, that I could easily slip out and back in, having done my task. But I couldn't risk it. Better no one know I was anywhere near there.

I judged that the party should have been in full swing before I made my move. I found his room easily, and then it wasn't hard to cast a summoning charm. I took a sip of the mead, so it would look the exact same as it had before. Careful to pour in only as much poison as I had sipped mead, I redid the cork, and the seal, perfectly, before returning the bottle.

With that load off of my chest, I quickly slipped out of Slughorn's room, only to bump into Filch. Thankfully, I had bumped into his back, and he had no idea of what room I'd just come out of. He gripped me by the back of my neck in a way that was oddly cruel, and he dragged me to the party. There I was made a spectacle of, as he informed everyone that I had been trying to sneak in. There was nowhere for me to hide, everyone's eyes were on me. For the most part I met them with a challenge, until I saw a soft brown set.

I couldn't help but stare. Her freckles were gone, most likely spelled for the night. Her skin shone radiantly, and seemed to glow against the silver of the dress she was wearing. There was no way she could have afforded such a designer looking dress. No, she must have spelled it. Mother liked to design dresses when she could. It was what she had done before she had married, and sometimes she still liked to design them, even if she couldn't make and sell them. It looked just like something she would design.

Her body had filled out over the past couple of months. It made me really appreciate just how much she must have been starving herself before. Starving herself, or unable to eat. I couldn't blame her. Being face to face with Voldemort had churned my stomach, and still did. If she had been confronted by him every night, no wonder she hadn't been eating much.

Somehow the most shocking thing was that she wasn't wearing her glasses. But no, she must have contacts, or something. That had to be it. Come tomorrow when she was on her way home, surely, she'd be wearing her glasses again. For now, though, I was glad that she wasn't. They would have taken away from the magnificent, stylish, look that she presented.

"Oh, well, if he was that desperate to attend, I can't see why we should kick him out." I tore my eyes away from the flamehaired beauty for long enough to glower at Slughorn. I didn't need his pity.

"Let go of me." I demanded, shrugging my shoulders to get rid of Filch's filthy hand. "Thanks, but I'd rather, oh, anything else." With that, I turned around and stormed out. No doubt I would soon be the topic of conversation within those walls. For now, I didn't care. I got to see her in all her splendour. That was something I would have given anything for.

Even if she weren't in my arms, that was a sight that I would be able to take with me.

"Hey, wait up." I turned around, and was surprised that she must have followed me. She was teetering on heels that she was obviously not comfortable with, and I was sure she must have borrowed them from someone like Lavender Brown. There was no way she'd own a pair. Not that she needed them. I was tall, at 6'4, and she was only slightly shorter than me. Those four inch heels brought her so that she was even taller than me. Or, would have, if she didn't trip over her hem. I lunged and caught her before she fell on her front, and helped her up.

"Stupid heels." She said, and kicked them off, right there. I don't know what I had been expecting her to say or do, but that certainly wasn't it. "Come with me." She grabbed my hand, and, leaving the obviously borrowed heels behind, using her free hand to lift her skirt so she wouldn't trip over it, she started marching in the same direction I'd been going.

The feeling of her warm hand in mine was peculiar, and somehow the simple touch made my heart flutter. She marched down a few different corridors, before she found what she must have been looking for, a bench. She sat down, no care for the delicate fabric that was her dress which made me wince. She let go of my hand, and left me standing. After a moment of silence between us she groaned.

"Sit down, Draco." It was the first time I had heard her call me Draco. Usually she stuck with calling me Ferret, or even simply Malfoy, and somehow it struck me in an odd way. I sat down next to her, but remained silent, having no idea what she wanted. Any other girl I would have known. After an amazing kiss like the one we had shared, most girls would be asking for more. But with Ginny... I know she had left Dean. It had only been after that fact that we'd kissed. But I doubted she was going to say anything like that. No, most likely with Ginny, she'd demand to know why I had been staring at her the way I had. I mentally prepared myself for her onslaught.

**A/N:** I'm a horrible person. Such a horrible person. It's okay, you can tell me. It's been over a year since I last posted. I can't guarantee that it won't happen again. And with my track record, it probably will. But here's another chapter for you, I hope you can forgive me. And if I get any new readers, I hope you guys like it :3 Milk and cookies for everyone who reviews.


	22. Christmas (Part 3)

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Fire**

"Why did you try to sneak in?" I asked. From the look on his face, I'm sure that was the last thing he'd expected me to ask. I was relieved to get out of Romilda's heels. She'd let me borrow them, insisting that they'd make my legs look great, and help me look even more unattainable to assholes like Dean. Well, on the condition that I let her know Harry's favourite flavour of chocolates. I didn't mind sharing that with her. Anything to make Dean regret his disgusting cheating. And he had goggled at me rather appropriately, I felt.

"I wasn't." He said finally. He paused, as though looking for the best way to continue. While I felt those words were honest, I was sure that the next ones wouldn't be. "I was on patrol around here, I heard the noise, and forgot about the party. So I came to check it out, remembered the party, and was leaving when Filch caught me." He said, and I sighed. I knew he was lying, though I couldn't say how I knew, any more than I could say why he was lying.

When I'd kissed him... There'd been something. I couldn't have just imagined it, could I? At first I'd thought it was because he'd saved my life a few times now. Maybe I felt like there should have been something there, a reason for him to save my life, when for all intents and purposes he should have just turned around and left me. After all, he'd admitted I was a pain many times now. Not to mention I was hardly shy when it came to hexing and cursing him. His boogers had attacked him many times, because of me.

Yet for some reason, he saved me. And then when I had found out that he had beat up Dean... Because Dean had been cheating on me. It was stupid. I wished I hadn't done it. But that memory. It made my knees quake to think about it, and my lips tingle, as I imagined repeating it right here and now.

His hand had been chill in mine, something that had surprised me, but not uncomfortably so. Dean had been warm, and Michael had barely touched me. The cool was a nice contrast. I had to let go of his hand when I sat down, for fear of what holding it might lead me to do. Something that I didn't want to do. Not until I'd determined a few things, at least.

After weighing it up for a while, as silence stretched between us, I let him have his lie. Instead, I turned to thinking about Colin, in the party, talking to Susan Bones. Or at least, I hope he was still talking to her. It had been the longest they'd talked for a while. They didn't have any classes together, which made it difficult. But I knew Colin held a torch for her. And I had only invited him to the Christmas party because I'd had no one else. I took a deep breath. Should I admit why I had brought Colin along? Or, at least, admit that I had been planning on asking Draco to come with me?

I shook my head briefly, a few curls springing loose of the knot as I did so. No, there was no telling what Draco would think if he knew that fact. He was already full of himself. He didn't need to know... Well, that, and be even more full of himself.

"Why did you tell me you had been invited?" I asked, staying firm in my decision not to call him out on his lie. He probably had his reasons. Whatever he had been doing here, he obviously didn't want me to know. Maybe he had been trying to slip in a late assignment. I'd worked on them all with him, but that didn't mean he was always good about submitting them on time. There was one that we'd had to hand in the day before, after class. Slughorn had made it obvious that he kept our assignments in his private rooms until he'd graded them. And with the party, there was no way he would have been able to grade all of them, and he may not have known that there was one missing. It could have been as innocent as that. And I could hardly blame him. After all, if he failed anything, we'd both be put back into our fifth year. And that wasn't something I wanted to have happen.

"What?" He seemed startled by my question. He was quiet for a while, probably thinking back to the conversation we'd had, where he'd told me that he'd been invited. I had assumed that Blaise had invited him as a friend, but who knew.

"I... I didn't want you to think that I wasn't invited." He said finally, and I could hear the truth in his words. It made me smile, though I made sure to look away from him before I did so. No need to let him know how easily it was that he'd managed to worm a way into my heart. Okay, so I'd just gotten over Dean. A more rational part of me told me that I was just trying to rebound, and with one of the people who would piss Dean off the most. But the rest of me was saying that, despite all appearances, despite all logic, there was something between us. Something that our proximity brought out.

"Why?" I questioned, my voice soft. It was a while before he answered.

"I didn't want you to think less of me." His voice was just as soft as mine. I let out the breath I hadn't known I was holding, and looked up, catching his grey eyes in mine. I studied them for a moment. I opened my mouth, to ask the same question again. Why wouldn't he want me to think less of him?

But before I could get the word out, his lips were on mine, and his arm was around my waist. I was shocked for a moment, before I sunk into the kiss. It was just as passionate as our first one. And this time I wasn't the one who stopped it. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me, pulling his mouth harder against mine. Somehow, I was on his lap, sitting sideways on him, my dress no doubt getting new wrinkles, as he crumpled a handful of it at my hip, holding tight to me, as if he thought I'd slip away.

"Well, well, well, isn't this an interesting... entanglement." I let go of Draco as soon as I heard the snide voice, and felt my cheeks go as red as my hair. Of all people to walk in on this. I was about to slide off of Draco's lap, but his hands held me there. Instead of being angry, like I had at Dean, I felt the comfort he was trying to give me.

"What do you want?" Draco's voice was a familiar ice, that I was beginning to realise I hadn't heard addressed towards me in a long time.

"A private word." Part of me was expecting Draco to say something romantic. _'Whatever you have to say to me you can say to her.' _But I wasn't surprised when he let me off his lap, and stood up.

"Wait for me." He whispered, before he let go of me. He turned, and his steely gaze caught Snape's coal black eyes. "Let's go, then." He said, and the two walked off, leaving me alone on a bench, wondering what I had just done.

Initially, I fully intended to wait. But after a few minutes, doubts began to sink in. What was I doing? This was Draco Malfoy... Yes, his kiss had been passionate, and amazingly sweet. Yes, he had saved me from drowning, and possibly saved my life in other ways. I still remembered feeling the adrift feeling, when I'd been tethered to this world, seemingly only by the memory of his face. Part of me couldn't help but think that, perhaps, if he had come to visit, I may have waken up sooner.

I was still waiting when Luna found me. She had picked up Romilda's heels, and had a dreamy look on her face as she sat down next to me. "Why aren't you wearing your glasses?" We hadn't really had a chance to talk in the party, and I was surprised that this was the first thing she asked me, though relieved that she didn't know what I'd just been doing. It didn't mean no one else knew. My other friends tended to be a lot more astute with social cues, than Luna, but at least this was one person I wouldn't have to explain things to.

As soon as I thought it I regretted it. I wouldn't need to explain things to Luna. Since we'd met last year, she'd fast become my best friend. Better than Colin, and better than Hermione. Hermione was a great friend, but she was Ron and Harry's friend first, my friend second. Colin was great, but there were times when I needed a girl friend. Luna may be random, and she may sometimes be vague, and not all there, but she was always there for me. She was always on my side. And I knew, somehow, that if anyone could understand my insane attraction to Draco, it would be the girl who had a crush on his best friend.

I hadn't even needed to wheedle it out of her, which made me feel guilty. She had come to me as soon as she'd felt something was wrong. I had been the one who had told her that she wasn't sick, that she had a crush. She had been prepared to go to the Hospital Wing, for the strange symptoms, the fluttering in her stomach, the pounding in her chest, sweaty palms. But I couldn't tell her about Draco. It wasn't that I didn't trust her. It was only that, until I had sorted things out – if I sorted things out, the fewer people who knew the better. And while she would never tell Ron out of spite, or demand that I stop seeing Draco, she might tell someone else.

"They were annoying me. Besides, I don't need them any more." I explained that somehow my vision must have been corrected. I assumed that the glasses had been spelled, so they were only meant to be temporary. Luna opened her mouth, as though she were going to say something, before closing it again.

"I've got a special copy of the latest Quibbler for you." She said, finally, and handed it to me. She must have been carrying it around in her purse this whole night. I wondered why she hadn't given it to me earlier, but then we didn't talk much before I went to try and rescue Hermione from McLaggen.

"Thanks." I said, as I took the magazine. The only articles I ever read were the ones she wrote, and those were only because I was trying to be a good friend. The articles weren't badly written. But they read like fiction, and particularly with her fathers more exotic articles, like the animal of the month, which more often than not seemed to be crumple horned snorkacks. I had actually been about to order the next copy, which had been out for a few weeks now, but hadn't gotten around to it.

"It's okay..." She trailed off, like she wanted to add something else, but she didn't. We were sitting there for a while before Harry and Hermione found us. They were both blushing profusely. As we walked back to the Gryffindor common room together, with Luna leaving us at the right turn to go toj her own common room, they filled me in on what I had missed. Particularly in the sight that had them blushing so brightly.

"Finally, we gave up looking for you. We thought you had gone back to the common room, and were leaving to join you, when we saw Colin and Susan Bones snogging in the corridor." I blushed at their description, but sent a silent _'Good on you.'_ towards Colin.

**A/N: **I feel like slightly less of a horrible, horrible, person when I do quick updates like this. Plus, there's a fire in my bones now that has been absent for a while. Hope you enjoy. :3 This chapter is especially a shout out to PassionateWriter85, if you're still reading this. Thank you so much for your reviews, they're a joy to read. And to everyone else who's ever reviewed. Also to Bekk, in the hopes that she reaches this chapter soon. Also to HPsos12345. I've got the next few chapters written, and ready to post, so I shall do my best not to just post them all one after another and forget about the story again a few months later. It makes me feel horrible when I do that. Okii, milk and cookies to readers, and hugs and love to reviewers. Oh, and ice cream. Ice cream is also allocated to reviewers. :3


	23. Christmas (Part 4)

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Ice**

When I finally got free from Snape, it was to find that she was gone. I'd backtracked, hoping to find the heels, maybe pull a Cinderella thing to try and charm her, but they were gone too. Resigned, I headed back to my room. I wasn't surprised that she'd left. Hurt, but not surprised. Everything she had done tonight had surprised me, and I'd been hoping for one more. I cursed Snape for interrupting us, though I probably could have handled his interruption better.

It crossed my mind that perhaps someone had left the party, and she'd gone with them. Potter, or Granger, or even Looney-Luna had been there. Luna. I should probably start getting used to calling her that, since Blaise was obviously infatuated with the odd creature. Sure, she was pretty enough, but I had been convinced there was something wrong with her, mentally. Blaise was positive that she just saw the world differently, and I think, for him, part of his attraction towards her was that he wanted to see the world differently, too.

I know how he saw the world. It was the same way I saw it. Or had seen it. When Ginny had suddenly kissed me, all that had changed. I still saw the same darkness, that I was used to. I was still scared for my life, and for my Mother's. But somehow, as though with her kiss she had given me a part of her courage, I felt that things could possibly turn out alright. I can't remember ever thinking that.

My father had been cruel in raising me. There were the beatings, usually given when I had done something that had displeased him, but also given once a month, these ones only ever to me, to "learn to respect my place". I had been relieved when I'd first come to Hogwarts. It had meant a break from the beatings. And I had started to feel better, and was slowly going to feel that perhaps, just perhaps, there was another way. Only Blaise had been raised the same way, with the beatings, the cruel Father, and the weak Mother. Unlike my Mother, his had never stepped in to help him.

She had taken part of his beatings. I still remember the first time that I found out my friend was being beaten, much as I was. Our Father's were friends, and both Death Eaters. Although, I suppose, to call them friends is to imply that there's a warmth between them where none really exists. On the contrary, they see each other more as colleagues, as adversaries. For as long as I could remember, they've both been trying to one up each other. When I was in my second year, we had both tried out for seeker. Blaise had been better. I was a decent flyer. I was excellent at handling my broom, and could outfly most people, even Blaise. But Blaise had the better eyes. He'd caught the snitch before me. Yet, as it turned out, I was given the seeker position, after my father purchased new brooms for the team.

At first I had wanted to give the position up, let Blaise have it, after all, he'd deserved it. I would have been happy with one of the other positions. But they had all been taken, and my father had beaten my Mother, at the very suggestion that I would give the position up. The rivalry they tried to instil in us from a young age, however, simply never existed. Instead, behind our fathers backs, a friendship had formed.

There were other children my own age that my father tried to push me towards. Crabbe and Goyle, particularly, as their fathers, and they themselves, were weaker. They were less likely to challenge me. Perfect underlings, as my father had told me. I could get away with doing whatever I wanted to them, he'd said, and so I could. But I wasn't my father. I didn't want to boss and order people around. When Blaise went against what I asked him to do that first time, it had filled me with a thrill I had never felt before.

He had been the same. Raised to believe that everyone was beneath him, and that everyone should obey him, and want to kiss his feet. Which is why our fathers butted heads so much. While neither of them said as much, they both wanted us to become leaders when we grew up. Leaders much like Voldemort. They themselves were higher level Death Eaters. They both took orders only from Voldemort himself, and they raised us to only take orders from our Fathers.

They would hate to be called the same. My Father beat me to within an inch of my life once for suggesting it. He told me that the Zabini's were nothing like us. That they were new money. That their lineage wasn't as pure as ours. One of Blaise's aunts had run off with a Mudblood, after all. And an Uncle on his Mother's side was a squib. A SQUIB! My father had held these facts above Blaise's father's head for as long as I can remember, and it had infuriated the man.

Blaise had been the one to tell me about them. We had play dates. Our Father's liked to think that one of us would soon come out on top. Not that that ever happened, much to their frustration. It was one day when we were at Blaise's house, hanging out in the library, because the day outside had been miserable. We could have gone into the spelled garden. It would have kept us safe from the rain. But we didn't want to. We were happy to be in the library. We had both learned how to read young, and were eager readers. His Mother had been there, keeping an eye on us, while my Mother had been at home, recovering from a beating she had been given for questioning my Father on his ways of raising me. That was before I learned any healing spells.

We'd managed to get our hands on the Zabini family tree. I had noticed some named crossed out, and asked about them. Blaise had told me. As always, when I got home, my Father demanded to know what happened. "What did the Zabini boy do and say. And his parents?" I told him about the family tree, and my father's face had lit up like a cat who had caught a mouse. The next day, I was back at Blaise's house for another play date. Mother was better, having seen a Healer, and she held my hand as we walked to Blaise's room. His Mother had told us that he was still asleep. The night before he had been beaten. His Mother hadn't known. He was breathing raggedly, and looked like he was close to dying. Mother, never good with healing spells, did what she could, and called our family Healer to come right away.

Blaise's father was furious, and he struck both Blaise, and myself. Mother had petrified him, and threatened him, that if he ever so much laid a hand on me again, she would kill him. She had let him go then, and invited Blaise to come to our house whenever he wanted. And since then, he has been an almost permanent resident in our house. Mother wanted to adopt him, but Father refused it. Since he was hardly ever home, however, he did almost live with us.

Blaise liked to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays as much as I did. And this time, we were the only sixth grade Slytherin's to do so, so we spent a lot of time together. I didn't have any homework or assignments to do. Ginny had made sure that those had all been finished before she'd left. While I was annoyed at doing the assignments first thing, I was relieved that I now had all this free time to spend with my friend.

We mostly sat in my room, talking about Luna, and about Ginny, and about what we could possibly do about them, and perhaps most importantly, we tried to figure out why we had fallen in love with such impossible people. They had both gone away for the holidays, which annoyed me. I would have liked to talk to Ginny. Figure out why she had left. Why she had been kissing me back. Hell, I wanted desperately to ask her to be mine.

Somehow the term girlfriend didn't seem to sum her up. I didn't want to be simple boyfriend and girlfriend with her. I wanted something more, something infinitely more complex. I wanted to be hers, and I wanted her to be mine. It seemed impossible, particularly with my Father, but I was prepared to take a thousand beatings, if I could hold her in my arms.

After what felt like years, the holiday finished, and I knew that she'd be back the next day. I had wanted desperately to give her something for Christmas, but I hadn't dared. Not while she had been at home, with her family. Instead, I bought her a simple necklace, and waited until the day before she was due back. I paid a first year Slytherin girl too go up and deliver it, as well as a box of Sugar Quills that I had bought from Honeydukes. I had noticed her sucking on them during classes sometimes, and thought she might appreciate a few more.

Finally, it was dinner time, and I was in the Great Hall, waiting for her. I knew everyone would be back soon. The train would have arrived by now, and they were just getting carried across in the carriages. I kept my eyes on the door, my dinner uneaten before me, as people started filing in. There was her friend, Creevey, and a Hufflepuff, Bones I believe, who looked joined at the hip, and sat together at the Gryffindor table. There was Longbottom. And Granger, and Potter, and her brother, all coming in together. And then, there she was. I knew something was wrong the instant I saw her. She looked like she had lost some weight, though she was nowhere near as waif like has she had been in the first term, and it was hard to tell given the baggy, hand-me-down clothes she was wearing. Her skin was pale and her freckles stood out once more, and I was reminded of how she'd looked at the beginning of the first term. Tired. She didn't look nearly as bad as she had then, but then I noticed the glasses that she was supposed to be wearing. Or, rather, I didn't notice them, as she wasn't wearing them.

I cursed under my breath. How foolish was she, to take those off? Didn't she know about the spell? In that moment it was obvious to me that _he_ was back, tormenting her dreams once again. I wanted to curse myself. How could I have done this to her? It was all my fault.

**A/N:** So, a third chapter since I've started posting again. Do you guys love me again yet? I'm so sorry for leaving you without for so long T_T I'm still a horrible person. And, no, the Christmas part isn't over yet. There's still another Christmas chapter coming. And then, I've written quite a few more chapters in the last couple of days, so hopefully we're set for a while :3 Milk and cookies and ice cream and hugs go to HPsos12345 once more. Thanks for the review :3


	24. Christmas (Part 5)

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Fire**

On the entire train ride home I expected someone to blurt out that they'd seen what I had done. I sat in a carriage with Ron, Harry, Hermione, Luna, and Neville. Colin and Susan had managed to find one of their own. Ever since they'd started snogging last night, they had been joined at the hip. Apparently they were already planning to catch up over the holidays. Good for them. Luna didn't say anything about my shoeless state last night. Harry and Hermione had seen me with the shoes in hand, but they didn't need to know that I had kicked them off a few corridors away from where I had sat down. There was no way knowing that would lead them to guess at what I had done, but it wasn't something they needed to know.

"What?" I realised that Harry had been talking to me, while I'd been dreamily gazing out of the window. I'd been thinking about if I would have done things differently, if Draco had been on the train as well. I might not have gotten a carriage alone with him, but perhaps I would have tried to talk to him. Though, in the end, perhaps not. In a small place, like the Hogwarts Express, there would be a larger chance of someone coming across us. And I wasn't sure I'd be able to just talk to Draco, though Merlin knows I should, before anything else.

"I asked how your first semester went, being in sixth year? Wasn't too bad being stuck with the Ferret this whole time, I hope." He smiled, and I smiled back, though weakly, as my stomach did a little flip. How could I ever expect that anything could work out between the two of us. Of his family, I knew only that his Father would in no way approve of him dating a "blood traitor." With mine? Mum wouldn't care who I was with, as long as I was happy. Dad would be upset at first, that I was with a Malfoy, before settling with Mum. My brothers? The older ones would be with Dad. Fred, George, and Ron? They'd probably go out and try to murder Draco, positive that some kind of love potion had been employed. I had thought something like that may have happened at first, but then I thought about what people were actually like when they were under a love potion or spell. I had seen it before, particularly around Valentines day. But I wasn't acting that way. At least, I don't think so.

"It was fine. It was a bit difficult at first, getting used to it, and having to catch up on some fifth year stuff, at the same time. But next semester should be easier." I'd caught up on all the fifth year assignments that I'd needed to do, and at the end of the semester, Draco and I had even done our OWLs. In my case, for the first time. It had been organised especially for us, and we were both expecting our results over the holidays, since there wouldn't be nearly so many students to mark. I was positive that I'd done well, and with that, I could honestly say that I was a sixth year, and even if Draco managed to fail something, as long as he passed his OWL's, we both now get to stay as sixth years.

That got me to thinking about what I was going to do with my spare time, now that I wouldn't have to spend it all with Draco. That's when I got the idea. I might have to be sneaking around behind my friends backs, but I could always steal those moments with Draco, as long as I don't let anyone know that we no longer have to spend that time together to stay in sixth year. That idea made me happy. It wouldn't be perfect, but maybe... If he was okay with it... And there was still a part of me that was sure that he was going to turn around, and be teasing me.

"Hey, are you okay?" I blinked up at Hermione. The train was nearly at Kings Cross, I realised, and everyone else was starting to get up while I'd spent the entire train ride staring out the window, trying to find any possible way around my situation.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, standing up. I'd read the Quibbler Luna had given me last night before I'd gotten on the train. I was sure that she was going to ask me about it when I saw her next, but she didn't say a word. I wondered why she'd given it to me then, it didn't seem to make any sense to me. Maybe she would ask me about it later, though.

Her article, which was usually something about what her friends were going through, was basically a love letter this time, to Blaise. She didn't mention his name anywhere in the article, but I knew who it was about. I wanted to question her about it, but I decided against it. She would ask me what I think, eventually. Until then, I was glad that she had been brave enough to publish it, even though it was highly unlikely that Blaise would read it. I was fairly positive that I was the only one at Hogwarts who read the publication, at least, after Harry's interview last year.

"You just seem a bit... preoccupied." Hermione said. While I didn't want to lie, I knew it was my only chance to get out of this without revealing something she would tell Ron, and possibly get Draco beaten up for.

"Just thinking about the OWLs, and hoping I passed." I lied. Hermione nodded.

"I'm sure you've passed. You've done really great this past semester, and you did great in the quizzes we did before you took them." I smiled at her, and thanked her again for doing that with me. If there was one person I could believe, when it came to their assuming I did well, it was Hermione. She had insanely high standards. Even if she didn't think I'd passed, there would be a high chance I had. If she thought I had, there was almost no chance that I hadn't. It was comforting, though it wasn't the real issue that I particularly wanted comfort in.

When we got home, it was dinner time, and Mum was overwhelmed by how much I ate, which made me feel a little hurt that she hadn't noticed something was wrong over the Summer. But I couldn't hold it against her, in the end. She was a busy woman, particularly when her younger children are home during the holidays. And I remember seeing pictures of her when she was my age. She had been just as waif thin at 15, and she had probably thought it was a phase.

After a delicious dinner, I made my way up to my room. I had finally become used to a good, proper sleep schedule, over the semester. After a few weeks of stinging hexes, and baths, trying to stay awake as late as I could, Dumbledore had reinforced the spells on the castle, and helped with my problem. As I sat down in my bed, I chewed on my lip, thinking on that fact. There was something about it that should worry me, but I couldn't think of what it was. Finally, giving up on it, I lay down. Only when I was drifting off to sleep did I realise. He'd reinforced the spells on Hogwarts. But there weren't any such spells on the Burrow.

I'd tried to crawl out of my nearly asleep state at that point, desperate to stay away, not go to sleep, but it was too late. I had come to the realisation when I'd already been half asleep.

"_Ah, so you're finally awake." I was on the hard bed again, and looking up at _him_. His eyes were cold, and there was a smile on his face, that was far from the comforting smile anyone else might have given me. It was a cold, cruels mile, that told of many terrifying things in my future. _

"_It's been such a boring time with you asleep. But you can't escape me in your dreams. And now you're here, all mine." He licked his thin lips, which sent a shiver up his spine._

"_No." I said, feeling a boldness in my voice that surprised me as much as it did him. I didn't talk back. I didn't stand up to him. I sat up, pulling the sheet that had been covering me up with me, and glowered at him with all the anger that had built up over the Summer towards him. "This is a dream. I'm asleep." I said._

"_Oh, is that so?" He raised an eyebrow, and his surprised look turned into a calculating one. He sat down next to me. I tried to shrink away but I was frozen in fear once more, my earlier courage seeming to have gone into that one speech. "If this were a dream, would I be able to do this?" He asked, before grabbing my jaw, and pulling my face towards his. His kiss was nothing like any of the others I had experienced. Michael's had been soft, quick kisses. Dean's had been sloppy, and heavy make outs. Draco's had been unbelievably hot, with a passion that had sprung up out of what seemed like nowhere. This kiss was cold, hard, and cruel. His lips crushed mine, and he bit on my lip. Not in the soft, playful way Draco had, but hard enough to draw blood. He sucked hard on my lower lip, drinking my blood, which made me shiver. I wanted to fight him, get away from him, and from this harsh kiss, but I was frozen. Finally, he pulled away._

"_Yes." My voice started out weak, but once I got that word out I felt filled with the courage that had deserted me once more. I sat up straighter and pulled away from him, which surprised him again and made him laugh, a cold, cruel sound. _

"_Then, perhaps, I shall have to convince you in other ways." He said, before moving towards me. A flick of his wrist, and I was frozen again, this time not in fear, but held still by whatever spell he had flung towards me. Before I knew it, he was on top of me. He smiled down at me, cruelly, and used my temporarily paralysed state to tie my wrists together, and to the headboard above me, and tie my ankles to the end of the bed, with my legs spread apart, cruelly so with the width of the bed. He released me from the spell when I was tied up._

"_Now, if this were a dream, you would be able to get out of those bonds." He said, as he pulled the sheet that was covering my naked body off of me. Somehow I was more embarrassed than ever to let him see my naked body. Before, I'd been thin, with barely any breasts. With my better eating habits, my breasts had slowly developed more, and my body had filled out. Now I had actual breasts, and actual hips. I had something of an arse, where before I'd been a plank with just a few awkward bumps. I was still thin, and my body was hardly the plump womanly figure of my mother's. Or even the curvy, delicate figure that Hermione had. I had more curves than before, but nothing spectacular._

"_No?" His voice was silky, and he leaned down, placing his lips against my neck. I tensed, expecting him to bite me there, but his kiss there was gentle, almost tender. "Or is it perhaps that you don't want to escape them?" He asked, as he moved his mouth down. He kissed his way gently around my left breast, in a way that made me uncomfortably moist. It was the last thing I wanted to feel, particularly with him. How could my body betray me this way? His teeth came out at least, catching my nipple in them. I cried out at the painful bite. While it wasn't, for example, bad enough to tear my nipple off. It hurt like hell. He pulled away after a while, and flicked my upright nipple with his finger, before moving to my right breast and nipple. Tears pricked my eyes._

"_If this were a dream, you could control your environment. You could manipulate things. Make your wand appear in your hand. You could freeze me with a single thought, no need to use magic. You could escape from these bonds, with almost no effort at all." He said, as he sat up, sitting on my waist, as though I needed to be pinned down further. He flicked my right nipple, as though for emphasis. _

"_But, perhaps you're right." He said, his smile once again cruel, as he looked at me. "Perhaps this is a dream, and you don't escape, because you don't want to." He reached over to a bedside table that I was sure hadn't been there last time, and opened the drawer. "But, you're here now, under my power, for whatever the reason. I might as well enjoy it." He winked, and I struggled harder against my bonds as I saw what was in his hand._

_With a quick pinch, and a scream of pain, the alligator clamp was on my left nipple, still had from his earlier attention. He was slower with the other one, saying that he didn't want me to have too much pleasure, too fast. I bit on my lip hard to keep from screaming as I felt each individual needle enter the extra sensitive skin of my nipple. _

"_Now, my dear, as gorgeous as you look like this, there are a couple of things, yet, to do." He held a thin silver chain, and I wondered what he was going to do with that at first, before he clipped it onto one of the clamps on my nipples. He clipped the other end to the other clamp. "See, before I'd have to tug them individually. Now," he tugged on the middle of the chain to demonstrate, and I felt the needles dig deeper into my nipples as the clamps were pulled tighter. I cried out as he grinned._

"_One last thing, my pet, then you'll be ready for me." He pulled out a wicked looking straight razor then, and if I hadn't been dreaming, I was sure I would have fainted. I tried everything I could think of. I tried imagining him frozen, but in my mind he just chuckled, as though my effort were laughable. He reached towards me, and rested the straight razor across my neck. "Now, that's very sharp, pet, so don't be doing any sudden movements now, while I get you ready for it." _

_I wondered briefly what he meant by getting me ready for it. Wasn't he going to cut my throat with it? Instead, I felt something warm suddenly on the hair that was covering my entrance. I jumped slightly at the suddenness of it, and the razor nicked into my skin. He tutted, and removed the razor. "Careful pet. Any sudden movements like that while I'm shaving you won't result in anything pleasant." He said, and I tensed my muscles suddenly, knowing what he now intended to do with it. _

_I should have been relieved that he wasn't going to kill me, and be done with me. But I was still terrified at the fact he was paying any attention to my lower parts. I shouldn't have been surprised, after what he'd done to my nipples, surely that was the next spot. The whole thing felt an odd mixture of clinical and intimate. My whole body was tense, even as he continued to lather shaving cream on my mound. He chuckled as he poked at some of my tense muscles, but I didn't want to risk moving while he has a razor against my skin. _

_I have no idea how long it took. It felt both quick, and like an eternity. He was thorough, and after he'd washed the remaining cream off, my mound was smooth, as determined by his tongue, roaming all over my mound, and then through my folds. I moaned despite myself as his tongue circled around my clit. The pleasant feeling didn't last long, however, before he bit down. I screamed._

I bit hard on my lip to keep from crying out, my breath coming fast as I felt the phantom bite on my personal area. I grabbed my pillow and was about to hug it close when it brushed against something that pulled at my nipple, and caused me to gasp. I lifted the top I always slept in, and couldn't help a small cry from escaping my lips as I saw the clamps, and the chain connecting them. Quickly, I pinched the clamps together, to pull them off, crying out again, this time into my pillow, when the blood rushed back too my nipples.

I threw the clamps and the chain into the bin, and threw some blank sheets of paper and parchment on top of it. I was almost scared to look, but when I slowly pulled my shorts down, I saw that my hair was indeed all neatly shaved off. I brushed my hand over it quickly, before biting on my lip to keep from crying. It wasn't that I was sad to lose the hair down there. I hadn't particularly cared for it one way or another. But seeing that it was, indeed, gone, seemed to drive home what _he_ had been saying. That that was the real world, and this was my dream.

I put in an appearance at breakfast, hours later. Remembering my discovery of last night, before I'd entered the other world, I approached Mum. She knew about the dream magic, from Dumbledore. I didn't tell her what I'd dreamed, exactly. There was no need worrying her needlessly. Instead, I told her that I had dreamed of _him_ again, and let her know that there were no spells here, where there were at Hogwarts, to protect me.

It was a long day, as owls were sent to Dumbledore. I didn't want to go to sleep, and no one wanted me to have to stay awake alone. Finally, around midnight, after a fifth game of wizards chess with Ron, while Hermione snoozed on the couch, an open book on her lap, and Harry paced nervously, occasionally pinching himself to stay awake, the fireplace glowed green, and Dumbledore stepped out.

He took one look at me, and gave a wearied sigh. I felt like I'd done something wrong, suddenly, though I couldn't think what. Perhaps he'd wanted me to stay at Hogwarts. But I couldn't hide at Hogwarts forever. "Why are you not wearing your glasses?" He asked me. Of all the questions he could have asked, that was the strangest one. Why was everyone asking me that?

"My visions better." I said. "I don't need them any more." Dumbledore gave a weary sigh once more, and pulling out his wand, he began casting spells. Before long, the Burrow felt cloaked in magic, similar to Hogwarts. And I could see there was extra magic on my room.

"Be careful.." Was all he said, before he stepped back into the fireplace. Puzzled over his words, both his question, and his statement, I fell asleep as soon as I went to bed, after helping Harry take Hermione up to Percy's old room, which was hers now, while she was here. Harry then poked Ron awake, he'd fallen asleep while Dumbledore had been casting his spells, and helped him up to the room they shared, while I went to bed.

"_You don't really think-"_

The words seemed to be in my head when I woke up, though I don't know why. The next day was better, particularly now that I was no longer worried about going to sleep at the Burrow. I went to bed early, to compensate for the late night the night before. There were no late mornings, at the Burrow. Everyone chipped in with chores, de-gnoming the garden, de-weeding the garden, cleaning the chicken cage, there was always plenty to be done.

"_Your dream world can save-"_

More words in my head. After being awake a while, I forgot all about them, and the vague sense of foreboding that the dream held, as another day of chores lay ahead of me.

"_You from me?"_

The words made no sense. You from me? It sounded like it was a part of a larger sentence. But what sentence could it be a part of?

_I was tied up again, this time not on the bed, but on an upright pole. There was a slender pole sticking out of the pole I was against, above my head, over which my hands were tied. I was forced to be on my tip toes. I tried to get out of my bonds, but the ropes were tied tight. _

"_Ah, so you're back. I hope you enjoyed your dream, you won't be getting any more good ones, I can guarantee you." He walked towards me, with the same cruel smile on his face. In his hands were the clamps, and the chain, that I remember throwing out. How did he get them again? I was sure they were the same ones. _

"_But enough of dreams, after all, your reality is far more enticing." He leaned down towards my face, and for a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me again. His breath touched my lips, and he laughed when I cried out. He'd been distracting me, while he clipped on the first alligator clamp, to my right nipple. This time, the chain was already attacked, and he reached up with it, stretching it over the pole that held my arms above my head, and down to my other nipple. When it reached my eye level I was sure it wasn't going to reach. My right nipple seemed like it was going to be torn right off, I cried out as he pulled it further. Somehow, as though the chain stretched, he made it to my left nipple, and attached the second clamp. It dug hard into my flesh, and then it seemed as though the chain shrunk again, as both my nipples seemed to be pulled to breaking point. _

"_Such gorgeous breasts you have." He said, as he flicked the chain, causing it to simultaneously tighten the clamps on each of my nipples. "Such milky fresh, free from your freckles. And topped by such rosy nipples." He drew a deep breath through his nose, which made me shudder, tugging at my nipples more. "And such a lovely specimen you are. I could sit here just watching you like that all day._

_And that's just what he did. "Oh, before I forget, it would be awfully upsetting if our visits were cut off again." He said, a menacing look suddenly in his red tinged eyes. "You will not speak of this to anyone." With a click of his fingers, I woke with a start. _

The clamps and chain were on my nipples again, and when I went looking through the trash, I discovered that they were, in fact, the same ones as before. Shuddering at the idea, while it was still dark, I went outside, to the stump we used to help us chop wood. Placing the clamps on the stump, stretching out the chain, I swung the axe. The chain broke. I swung a few more times, and the clamps were mangled, and registered absolutely useless. Feeling satisfied, I cast I spell on them so they would remain that way, and proceeded to throw the mangled remains in the bin.

It was only after I had dealt with that problem that I realised it was Christmas day. I had completely ignored the packages at the end of my bed, in order to destroy the clamps and the evil chain that connected them. Running upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, I saw that the house was starting to wake up, and thanked Merlin that I woke before everyone else.

We all opened our presents together, as we always did. Everyone got an organisational book from Hermione, which made me smile, despite everything that had happened in my dream.

Over the rest of my stay at the Burrow, the dreams persisted. Whenever I tried to tell someone, I started talking about something else instead. At first I started to eat less, before in one dream I was ordered to continue eating as normal. It made me feel sick to force the food down my throat, as my stomach was tied in knots, but somehow whatever he commanded me, I had to do.

Maybe he was right. Maybe this was the dream world.

**A/N: **Another chapter. Hope you like it. This one's super long, but I wanted to finish the Christmas storyline. I probably could have cut this into two chapters, but I didn't have anything new to fill in the Draco chapter in between, so here you go, an extra long chapter. Milk and cookies to all my readers, and chocolate peanut butter icecream (to those who aren't allergic) to all who review :3


	25. Notes

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Ice**

I wanted to run to her and comfort her, but I stopped myself. She'd had a week to think about the kiss, and what it meant. Maybe she had decided to ignore it. Ignore me. Maybe when I saw her next, it would be in class, and she'd be paired with someone else. I'd managed to pass my OWLs, and so had she – because of the deal we had made with Dumbledore, we had both been sent both sets of results. She'd received O's in almost all of her classes, sprinkled with a couple of E's. I was astonished. She'd even managed to bump my grades up. I got a lot of E's, with an O in potions, since she'd taught me to stop reading ahead. That had been my main problem, I realised now.

Instead of going to her, I sat and watched her. She didn't seem to interact much with her friends, though I was relieved to see she did eat a reasonable meal. Maybe it was just the clothes she was wearing that had made me think she had lost more weight. She barely glanced up, though it seemed I felt eyes on me every time I looked away. But the moment I looked back she was staring at her food. I didn't know if it was her who had been looking at me, or someone else I hadn't caught, but apart from the food on my plate, she was the only thing that had my attention in the room.

Dumbledore welcomed everyone back – apparently he hadn't had his mead yet. But I was prepared to wait. Perhaps he was saving it for a special occasion. And what occasion could be more special than welcoming students back to school? I had been waiting, over the holidays, and particularly on Christmas day, to hear word of his death, but there had been nothing. But all that meant was that he hadn't felt like having some mead yet.

I tried to catch up with her in the rush of people heading back to common rooms and dormitories, but she seemed to slip out quickly. By the time I thought I'd caught up with her red hair, I saw that it was actually her brother. Rushing quickly away before he saw me, I made my way back to the Slytherin common room, and my own dormitory.

I would talk to her tomorrow, I decided. With that in mind, I decided to write a note to her, that I could slip to her in potions, which we had first period. I would ask her to meet me in the empty classroom after class was over for the day. At least then I'd know for sure. If she came, that would mean she wanted to have something with me as much as I did with her. If she didn't, then obviously that meant that she wanted nothing to do with me.

Of course, I wasn't planning to accept that lying down. If she didn't show up after class, I planned to camp out in the prefects bathroom. She was bound to show up there sooner or later.

Sitting at my desk, I paused with my quill over the scrap of parchment. What should I say? Saying that I loved her seemed to come out too strong, but it was also what my quill wanted desperately to write. No, I wouldn't. She might run away if I said that, and I couldn't risk that.

_G - _

_I think there is something between us. If you do too, please meet me at our place_

_- D_

I decided to stick to our initials, and just a short note, in case someone else picked it up. If one of the trio found it, they would probably assume it was from Dean. Chances were, after the cheating scandal, they would throw it out. But if they did that, I could write her another note.

Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, I woke up the next morning and got dressed. I had decided to skip the prefects bathroom last night. I wanted to give her the note first, and try and talk to her reasonably in the empty classroom, before I confronted her in the bathroom. Somehow the idea of talking to her when she was naked in that milky water she favoured distracted me, and I knew that if I were to do that, we wouldn't be talking. Since I didn't know how she stood, with us, yet, I was determined to find that out first, before I put her in that kind of situation. I don't think I'd be able to control myself this time. I wouldn't do anything horrible, the kind of things that my father might have done. The kind of things that Voldemort has probably tried to do in her dreams.

That thought stopped me still. Her dreams. She must be having them again. She looked so tired, and when she'd left, she'd looked so happy. How could things have changed so much for her in a week? Of course. The glasses. No matter what happened, I decided, and no matter whether she felt the way I did, or not, I would get her to wear those glasses again.

I was telling Blaise this, under my breath, at the breakfast table, when she came down. She looked even more tired. Did she get any sleep last night. When she walked her robe flicked up a bit, and I thought I saw more stings on her ankles.

"No." Blaise drew me out of my thoughts suddenly and I turned to look at him.

"No?" I questioned. What was wrong with that? If I told her what the glasses did, she would wear them, to stop her dreams. It was simple.

"Dream magic is more complex than that." Blaise sighed, and pulled out the worn copy of the Quibbler that he'd shown me before. "You didn't even fully read this thing, did you?" I shook my head, and he rolled his eyes. "Well, you obviously remember the punch line, that she needs to wear the glasses during the day, or he'll be able to get into her head at night." We were whispering, sitting at the end of the table. Most people were away from us. They'd grown to accept that what we wanted to say, we didn't want them to hear. Crabbe and Goyle were the closest to us, and even they were out of earshot.

"And if she knows that, she'll wear them." I pointed out. Blaise just opened the article, going past something about the uses of ground up horn of the crumple horned snorkack, to Luna's article. I knew why he still carried this issue around with him. It was the most recent one. The new one was due out his week, and I'm sure he was going to special order it, and read it as soon as it came out, before carrying that one around in the pocket of his robe.

"Not straight away." Blaise said, finally. "If she starts wearing them again, and knows what they do – Voldemort will know what it does too, and he'll be able to break the spell on the glasses. Now, if she were to just wear them, thinking that she just needed glasses again, then she would still have a couple of dreams, before everything blacks out again." He sighed again. "Besides, Voldemort's not stupid. Even if she does start wearing the glasses again, and just thinks they're for her vision – he'll put two and two together. He'll be able to break the spell on the glasses."

"Fuck." I swore, and looked at where he'd pointed out that part. "Wait, so what would have happened if she knew what the glasses were for when she was still wearing them? She could have been able to just keep them on."

"Except if she didn't. If she took them off, for even one day, like she did at the Christmas party, after she'd known about the spell, it would have opened the door for him." I groaned at the complicatedness of it.

"So what happens if she read this copy of the Quibbler?" I demanded. It didn't add up.

"You really should read the whole thing." Blaise said, and pointed to the final paragraph.

_For my friend, I know that this is a serious matter. She is a good friend, and reads my articles. She says she reads the whole magazine, but I don't mind. I know she tries. I don't want more than that. I made a custom copy for her, with the article concerning a private matter that only she knows about. Ron, Harry, Hermione, if you read this, you must on no account warn Ginny of the charm on her glasses. _

"Really? That seems a bit extreme." I was sceptical enough of this whole thing, this final paragraph seemed to much. "She actually published that bit? Couldn't she have just informed Ginny's friends?" I wanted to tear the article up, but I knew what it meant to Blaise, so I just pushed the magazine away from me. "So, if I the glasses are now useless, what can I do?" I asked, my eyes pleading. Maybe there was something in the article that I hadn't bothered to read, (for good reason, the whole thing read like an instruction manual to crazy).

"I don't know, Draco. If I did, I'd tell you. Maybe you should do some research on dream magic?" I sighed. Not very helpful. It was time for us to go to classes then, and we stood up. As we headed to Potions, I got an idea. Blaise cursed under his breath when he saw my face.

"What?" He demanded, stopping in the middle of the corridor, letting other people walk past us. "What's with the look?"

"Loo-na," I caught myself just in time, "seems to know a fair bit about dream magic." I started. He just waited. "And she does seem to like the idea of people reading her magazine..." I hoped he'd get my drift soon.

"You think I should question her, for you?" He raised a perfectly arched brow.

"Well, I'm happy to ask her myself. But I thought if you questioned her, you might win her heart over, something I know you're eager to do." He cursed under his breath again, and glared at me.

"You know, sometimes you're too smart for your own good." He muttered, before walking off. I smiled. It would be perfect. Even if Luna didn't know anything more of dream magic, Blaise would be able to make her fall in love with him, of that I had no doubt.

I sat down in my usual seat, surprised to have beaten Ginny, and the trio. When they arrived, I expected Ginny to pair up with her brother, or with Harry or Hermione. Instead, she came and sat down next to me. When I was about to pass her the note I'd written, she passed me one of her own, which startled me.I wanted to read it straight away, but at that point Slughorn came in. Trust him to ruin my happy moment.

We worked on another potion together, talking only as much as we had in previous lessons. I was getting better at not reading ahead, and she didn't need to stop me from adding anything too early this time. It meant that I didn't get slapped, which was a huge relief. Though, when I thought of it, she hadn't slapped me for a long time.

When Potions was finished, we went to History of Magic, which seemed like the perfect place to read her note. Ginny was the only one in our class who seemed to try to take any notes. I had noticed last term that she had eventually given up, and gone to sleep, just reading the books, like I, and everyone else in the class, did. But today she was trying to take notes again. Which definitely meant that he was back in her dreams. She didn't want to go to sleep.

_Draco - _

_We need to talk. After school, the empty classroom. For now, don't let on that we don't need to be partners any more. _

_Please_

_-Ginny_

It was simple, and the note made me smile. That had to mean she was at least willing to think about being mine. At this point I didn't even care if she did want to be boyfriend and girlfriend. As long as I could hold her in my arms.

The day seemed to go excruciatingly slow from that point on. We barely spoke in our classes together, only what we needed to get the work done, which is how we had been in classes the last semester. It made me miss our bathroom conversations. They were always interesting. When she wasn't nearly dying, that is.

Eventually, the school day was over, and we made our way to the empty classroom. On the door was another note, which confused both of us. I let her read it first. With a weary looking smile she gave it to me to read.

_I have booked this room for the two of you for the rest of the year, in the hopes that you will continue to work together on your school work, as together you make a formidable pair._

_- Dumbledore_

How did that man know? It wrenched at my heart briefly as I thought of the poison waiting for him to drink it. Had he had it already? Would we know straight away, or would we find out hours, days later?

"Okay, so we need to talk." I said, leaning against the desk I had been using when we had worked together in this room. To my surprise, Ginny dropped her bag, moved towards me, and kissed me again. I think I could get used to this.

**A/N: **So, this is the fifth chapter I have written since I've taken this up again. And I've got quite a few more already written, just waiting to be posted. (I'm sure I've mentioned this before) but I really am trying to post them all slower, so you don't get a gigantic fix of ten or so chapters, followed by a year or more of nothing.


	26. The Talk

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Fire**

I couldn't help myself. I had missed him – oh Merlin had I missed him. More than I could have imagined. I don't know how he had managed to ferret his way into my heart over such a quick time. All I knew was that he was the only thing that kept this world real for me. I was home for a week, and three of those days were dreamless. But those other four days... That first day had been torture. Waiting to hear back from Dumbledore. And then... After _he'd _broken through the spells... How had he managed that? Just the thought made me want to break down and cry in Draco's arms.

I remember when I didn't want him to see my crying. That was when this whole problem had started. It had started because I had broken down and cried in front of him. Then he had comforted me. Why had he comforted me? Why had he saved me? If he hadn't done any of that... Well, if I had survived, I doubt I would be feeling the way I do now.

"No." He said, as he pulled away almost as soon as I had kissed him, which hurt me. Did he not want me now? Before... Before, I had seen it in his eyes. Even when I'd still been skinny, and hadn't had any body to speak of, I could see something in his eyes, a desire that had spoken to me on a level I had never known before. How could he just pull away like that? Had it all been a lie.

He must have known what was going through my head, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. I wanted to push away, but he was strong. Stronger than me. "No, I just mean, we need to talk. As much as I would love to kiss you... And believe me, I would. And not just kiss you... You wanted to talk. And I think we need it, too. And I'm sure that we won't get a chance to if we start kissing now."

I was filled with a huge sense of relief. So he still liked me. He still wanted to kiss me. And... more? I flushed at the thought. I knew he wasn't a virgin – there were enough girls around Hogwarts who were more than happy to talk about their short trysts with him. Somehow, that he wanted to do more with _me_ made me feel a quivering in my stomach. Dean had always been demanding about it. There was something about the way Draco stepped back. That he made sure we talked before going down that road. It made me want him even more.

But, I took a deep breath and calmed my emotions. No, he was right. We did need to talk. And kissing would definitely be detrimental to that fact. I moved away, and decided to sit down at the table I had worked out. He stayed leaning against his table for a moment, facing away from me, before he, too moved. He moved his table so it was across from mine, instead of next to. I wasn't sure whether this was to put him further away from me, to put in extra distance either of us would have to cross to kiss each other, or whether it was so he could look me in the eyes as we talked, but either way I appreciated it.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked. I took another breath. I wanted to tell him about the dreams. About what _he_ was doing to me. After that second dream, where he had pulled my nipples to what felt like breaking point, he had cast a spell on the stubble that was beginning to grow back on my mound. It was now completely smooth, and hairless, more or less permanently. But I couldn't. I had tried, over the past three days. To tell my Mum, Ron, Harry, Hermione, anyone. But each time the words just wouldn't come out. It was the same way now. I opened my mouth, and closed it. So I couldn't talk about that with him either. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. Not yet. We did need to talk first.

"I like you." The words came bubbling out. Part of me had known that I wouldn't be able to talk about the dreams, but this is why we really needed to talk. We needed to figure out what we were doing. What we could do. I couldn't be just another girl, just another notch in his belt. I wouldn't let myself be, and I was sure that he wouldn't let me be, either. But we couldn't come out to our families that we were going out. His father was a formidable figure, and I didn't want to think about what he might do to me. After all, I was from a family of blood traitors. There was no way that I'd be good enough for his son. And my own family... Well, some of them would be okay. But most of them, and many of my friends...

He let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief. The silence stretched between us as I could see him thinking what to say next.

"I like you, too." He settled with. "A lot." A pause. "More than any girl I've liked before." That made my heart flutter in my chest. So he didn't want me to be just another notch in his belt. "I think..." He looked at me, and my heart seemed to freeze, as I held my breath, unsure of what was coming next. "I think I may even... love you." The words seemed to trip over his mouth, like he was unused to saying them. My heart started again, immediately jumping into a million beats a second mode.

"I..." I paused. Did I love him? Was that what this electricity was? The spark that had appeared when we'd kissed? Was that why I wanted to throw myself at him, and never let go? I had certainly never felt this way with Michael, or with Dean. Was this love? "I'm not sure." I settled on. He seemed disappointed, and I quickly moved on. "I mean, I like you. A lot. More than I've liked any guy." I thought about Harry. I had never really liked him that way. Once, maybe, I thought I might have. But in the end, it had been the love of a fan. I had worshipped him. I hadn't loved him. "It might be love." I think his heart started to match mine. "But I just... I don't know."

I flushed brightly and looked down at the bare table before me. There was a low groan in his voice as he spoke next.

"You have no idea what I want to do with you when you look like that." He said, which seemed to make my heart beat faster. I wanted to ask him what, but I knew that wouldn't help our talk. With the way I was feeling right now, we would probably end up doing whatever it was that he wanted.

"I-" I stopped and took a deep breath. Why was this so hard? "I want to be with you." I said. _In a way I've never been with anyone else. _Was the unspoken rest of my sentence. I wanted to be with him before _he_ could do anything in my dreams. And I knew something big was coming soon. I could feel it. For some reason, I wanted to be with Draco, before anything came to that. There was a part of me that thought being with Draco might give me courage, in that dream world. Something I don't have enough of right now.

He let out a long breath, and stared into my eyes for a long time, neither of us spoke. Finally, he broke the silence. "I want to be with you too. I want... Merlin, I want a life with you. I want to come home from work, to see you with a child on your hip, and the smell of your delicious cooking. I want to know that you're _mine_." Somehow that one word sent shivers down my spine. The picture was a lovely one, though not exactly what I wanted.

"No." I said, shaking my head. "I want a life. I want to be a healer. I mean, yes, kids would be lovely." I saw him smile, which gave me the courage to go on. "But I don't want to be like my mother. All she did was raise kids. I want to have a life outside of that." He nodded, and reached across the table to hold my hand. Again I felt the strange coolness of his hand. As though his temperature ran cooler than normal.

"I want you to live the life you want. But I want to be there in it." He said. His words were so sure. I didn't even know yet if I wanted him to be in my life forever. All I did know, was that I needed him in it right now.

"But," I needed to get this out. I needed to let him know that it might not be forever. At the moment he seemed sure that I was in it as much as he was. "I don't know if a week, a month, a year down the tracks, something won't happen." I took a deep breath. "Right now, yes, I want it. I want it so much. But everything is against us. Our families... Our friends... If I told Ron I liked you, he'd beat you up, and take me to the hospital wing to get me a cure for the love potion he'll be sure you've crammed down my throat." I didn't even want to think what his friends would do. Blaise... Luna was sure that he was a good guy, so perhaps he'd be okay with it. But Crabbe? Goyle? I didn't even begin to think about his father. I didn't know much about the man, but I knew there was no way he could approve of me, and that wouldn't be good. Besides, there was Pansy to consider. For a long time, she's been infatuated with Draco. With the power he represents, and with his money, not with the person inside, like I am. I could only imagine what she would try to do to me to get me out of the way. She'd obviously see me as a block to her attempt to win over Draco.

"So, let's live right now, and see where things take us." Draco said, his voice sure. I couldn't help but smile.

"We can't just go out." I said. He squeezed my hand gently.

"Let's do it behind their backs." He suggested. "We have the perfect excuse. We even have this room, for our free periods, and our spare time. Everyone will just think we're still studying together, because of the deal we made. I know what you're scared of. We can see how things go with just us. Maybe..." He trailed off, and I could see what he was thinking without his need to say it. Maybe one day things would work out between us. Maybe we'd be able to be together, without worrying about our families, and friends. I knew it was unlikely, but right now... Right now I didn't care.

With a plan sorted (mostly), and our positions figured out (sort of) we didn't have anything else to talk about right now. As much as I wanted to tell him about the dreams, I couldn't. With that in mind, I stood up, and, still holding his hand, moved to sit on the table in front of him. He stood up, so he was towering over me, and leaned down, pressing his lips against mine.

**A/N:** Okay, guys, hope you're enjoying these rapid fire chapters. (Well, not quite so rapid-fire, but hey, at least it's not a chapter every two years or so. Yes, I feel horrid still)

Extra thanks to Marinka for your review, and to everyone who ever reviews, seriously, it inspires me to no end.

I've still got a few chapters written, just waiting to be posted, so you shouldn't (theoretically) be bereft for a while at least... Hopefully (and please don't hold me to this) but, hopefully, I might actually manage to finish this soon (cue sad music and a chorus of no, keep it going forever, we don't care if there's no plot, we love you're writing) I know, I know, it'll be sad to know that there'll be no new chapters (ever) for this story. But I've already got something new in mind. (cue other readers clammering that I need to go back to my other works that have also been abandoned for a few years). Well, I guess I'll see what happens.

Anyway, thanks to my readers, and thanks to my reviewers 3


	27. Time Together

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Ice**

She hadn't said anything about it. No telling me about the dreams. Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe she looked tired for another reason. I lifted her up from the table, and held her close, pressing her body close to mine, groaning in my throat at the feeling, my dick, which had begun to grow painful at the very thought of her, began pressing into her hip. I loved how deliciously tall she was. She was the tallest girl in school. I wasn't the tallest guy, though I was up there. Pansy had been a short little stump of a thing. It had always been a pain to bend over and kiss her, which was why I'd stopped giving her any kisses early on.

With Pansy, and every other girl I had been with, it had been about using their bodies. That was the only thing I wanted from them. Most of them, it was because they were gorgeous, though with Pansy it had always been easy pickings. She'd attached herself to me early on, expecting that I'd grow to like, or even love her. She hadn't been my first. I never would have given her that honour. Now I wish I could have held out, though all those other times, they felt like nothing, compared to the electricity that sizzled between us now.

I still remember my first. It's hard not to. It had been last year, on my fifteenth birthday. Father's 'present' had been to make a man out of me. At first I had refused. I wasn't going to use that young woman's body. Father said that, one way or another, I would use her body. He had threatened to use the Imperius curse on me. My own Father. She had been tied up to my bed, sobbing. She was a pureblood, though a blood traitor. She was old enough to be out of Hogwarts, and I knew that after this she was going to be missed by her family.

At the time I had wondered why my father had given me a pureblood. After all, wouldn't it be more fitting for Death Eaters to rape muggles and mudbloods, and leave purebloods, even blood traitors, alone? That's when he told me something that chilled me to my very bone, to know his true coldness, much as a lot of what he's told me has, truly.

"Other Death Eaters may enjoy raping muggles, and mudbloods, but I have never tainted my body, and neither shall you, son." And that was when I first met _him_. He'd been in the house already. Apparently ours was an ideal house for him to stay, and my Father, ever a loyal supporter, had of course welcomed him in with open arms. Apparently the 'gift' had been his idea. A great way to make me a man.

They both watched, which sickened me to my stomach to think about even now, as I held Ginny in my arms. I know they hadn't watched me with a girl since, though that was a small relief. My hand traced a line, from Ginny's hips, where I'd been holding her against me, pinning her hips against mine, up, across her side, which made her shiver deliciously in my arms, up to her breast. I gave it a gentle squeeze, wondering at the size. I still remember seeing them when she had been rail thin. The first time, when they had been swollen by the bruises that he must have left on them. Now, they fit wonderfully in my hand.

I found my way to her nipple, and her whole body stiffened. She pulled away, and for a second I saw fear in her eyes. I dropped my hand, and it was gone. Why was she so afraid of that? I wanted to tell her that I would be gentle, that I would give her all sorts of pleasures. Then I wanted to tell her that if she wasn't ready, I could wait. My dick might try to jump up and strangle me, but I wasn't going to risk losing her for the world.

"I'm a virgin." She said after a minute of staring into each others eyes. That shocked me. Dean was almost as known for spending time with the Hogwarts Whores as I was. I know he'd visited at least Parvarti and Pansy while he had been dating Ginny. Then I remembered why she'd been so upset, one time. He'd asked her to give her a blowjob. Something I had asked many girls at this school, though none who hadn't been more than willing. Rage boiled in me towards him all over again. He must have known how innocent the girl he was dating was, even if I hadn't at the time.

"That's okay," I said, my voice husky from all our delicious kissing. I wanted desperately to go back to it. Kissing was something I hadn't done with a girl for a long time, not properly, and hers filled me with such an amazing energy. "I don't want to push you. I can wait." A smile crossed her face as I said that, though for a moment after she looked more tired than she had before.

"Thank you." She said, and gave my hand a gentle squeeze, before leaning in, and planting a soft, chaste kiss on my lips. She didn't linger long enough for it to turn into what it had been previously, but that's okay. She smiled again, a fuller, happier smile this time, and sat on the desk I had been sitting at during our talk. I sat down on the other desk, and for a while we just sat there, holding hands, in silence. I never would have done this with any other girl, and never in the past had I wanted to, or even dreamed that I would want to.

But the delicious warmth of her hand was comforting, and it held a promise, one day. And that day, I decided, I would give her the time of her life. It was a few minutes after we were usually gone from here, but neither of us wanted to leave, and break the contact.

"I should go." She said, finally, though she didn't make a move to let go of my hand. "Will you meet me in the prefects bathroom tonight?" She asked, looking into my eyes. I nodded, caught up in her gaze, and then she beamed at me. "Till then." She reached over and embraced me, planted a soft kiss on my cheek, and turned around and left just as quickly.

I stayed there for a while, remembering her sweet embrace, and the feeling of her soft body in mine. I didn't want to leave, to have to go back to the real world, where my best friend was probably waiting for me in my room, hopefully with some more information on dream magic, that I may not even need. Maybe he had given up on her. Maybe after not being able to access her mind when she had been wearing those glasses, he had given up on reaching and torturing her that way.

Finally, I moved, my whole body feeling light, with the thought that she liked me, and possibly even loved me. It was only as I left the room, turning off the light, that I remembered I hadn't asked her how she'd liked her gifts. I'd made sure to include my name on the note this time, so she wouldn't think they were from Voldemort, perhaps poisoned, or enchanted in the necklace's case.

"I'm guessing you kissed her again." Blaise said when I saw him in my room. Dinner had gone by like a Summer breeze, my thoughts entirely on the talk that had taken place, what we had decided on, and the fact that I was going to see her again tonight, in the prefects bathroom. I wondered if she was going to beat me there, perhaps be already in the bath, her delicious skin covered only by the milky water she preferred.

"She likes me." I said dreamily, and Blaise gave me a condescending look.

"Really? I thought she hated your guts. I can't see why else she would kiss you, like she had." I didn't even bother rolling my eyes towards my friend, I felt like I was drifting on a cloud. "Okay, you're starting to freak me out a bit here, mate." He said, snapping his fingers, as if that would bring me out of my daze.

"We kissed, yes." I confessed. "And then we talked. She wants to see me. She's scared, as am I, about revealing it, but we've got a plan. We're going to meet in secret." Blaise was the only person I would ever tell, and even then only because he already knew that I was in love with Ginny. I knew that I'd be the only one he'd ever tell about Luna, as well. "Did you talk to her?" Now it was Blaise's turn to give me a dreamy look.

"I tried to. But when I said that I had a question about her article in the Quibbler..." He trailed off, and flushed. I raised an eyebrow.

"My, my, Zabini, did the girl kiss you?" I asked, and his deeper blush told me I was right. "Well, it wasn't a wasted effort, then, was it?" He shot me a relieved glance.

"I promise I'll try not to get so distracted next time." He said. "I know it's an important question, and she'll be eager to help, I'm sure, knowing that it will help her friend."

"She does seem rather attached to Ginny." I said with a smile. Blaise nodded, and grinned, and I wondered how long it was going to take him to put the question to Luna. Right now, it looked like he'd be easily distracted with the girl.

"Okay, I'm going to have a bath." I said. There must have been something about my face that gave away that I knew I was going to meet Ginny there. Or perhaps it was simply a guess, knowing how often I'd met her there before, by accident.

"Do you still remember the spells you need?" He asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"We're not going to..." I paused for a moment. I had been about to say fuck, but I wouldn't fuck Ginny. I couldn't imagine it. No, Ginny, I would make love to. "We're not going to do anything." I ended up going with. "Well, we might kiss, but that's it." I wasn't going to push her before she was ready. I wasn't my father.

Blaise raised both his eyebrows, obviously surprised that I was waiting. "You really do love her." He said, after a pause. I nodded. I couldn't think of anything else that it could possibly be but that near mythical emotion.

"I really think I do, yes." I said, before leaving, the door to my room closing behind me. Blaise was the one person who I trusted to be in there alone. I had let him use my room in the past, when he wanted privacy from the boys dormitory. I couldn't blame him. If I had to spend all my time in a room with Crabbe and Goyle, I'd need some time alone too.

I made my way to the prefect's bathroom. It wasn't lights out yet, so I took my time, and sent a few younger children who might not make it in time to their common rooms. Usually I didn't care, and sometimes I had even been spiteful, and wrote their names down, giving them to a teacher to let them know that they had been out after dark. But today, I felt like I needed to give some of the good feeling back to people, so I let them know to head back to their common rooms, that they would have just enough time, and shouldn't be caught on their way there. They scurried off to their common rooms, no doubt expecting me to give their names to a teacher, regardless of whether or not they were actually out after hours.

I made it to the bath before her, and I got to set it up. I made sure to fill it with the milky water she enjoyed, also knowing that it would give her some confidence to be in a bath naked with me. I then added a scent of roses, and a potion to soothe nerves. When it was done, I disrobed, and slipped in. No need to scare her off by disrobing in front of her. At least this way I'll be immersed in the cloudy water before she gets here.

Finally, I waited. And waited. Until I began to fear that she wouldn't come.

**A/N: **The usual suspects. Milk and cookies for readers, hugs, ice cream, gelato, and affection to reviewers.


	28. The Truth

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Fire**

_My nipples were clamped again. It was always the first thing he did. Some nights that was all he did, clamp them and chain them together, before tugging on the chain, until I felt like my nipples were about to be torn off. _

_Why did he torture me like this? There was more than just that, though. Some nights I was down lower, and he would shove his member down my throat, and start pumping. I choked on it more often than not. It was thicker, rather than long, and stretched my mouth farther than was comfortable. _

_But it wasn't only that. Oh how I wished it was just that. Instead of just torturing me, inflicting pain, sometimes he'd bring my pleasure. No, he hasn't done anything like give me an orgasm yet. But there are times when he's surprisingly gentle. He'll kiss his way down my throat, take my nipple in his mouth, ask if I wanted him to go on, offer to take the clamps off if I said yes. I always said no, and he'd tell me that I would say yes, one day. _

_It was getting harder each day. And I was starting to fall asleep sooner, against my best attempts. I have been trying to stay up late, again, like I had before, but it doesn't work. It's almost like after a certain time I can't control my body. It changes into my pyjamas, and gets into bed, then I wake up here. The only thing that kept me from believing this was the reality was his face. Pale skin, though not as pale as the man currently licking my navel. White blonde hair, perfectly cut, such a contrast to the dark brown hair. But they have some similarities._

_Both of them, for example are waiting for me to say yes. One of them has my best interests in heart, while the other just wants me to be his, for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to wake up, but I had no control over that, any more than I did now, of going to sleep. _

"_Tomorrow, my pet, we will have some more fun." He said finally, before I woke up._

I looked at my body. Somehow over the night my pyjama shirt had come off. On my navel were bite marks that hadn't been there the day before, dark purple hickeys, that marred my pale skin. The clamps were back on my nipples, as well as the chain that connected them. I had tried to destroy them, but they always came back. I had given up on the last day of the Christmas holiday.

I felt worse this morning than I had the last few mornings. Guilty. I had tried to go to the prefects bathroom last night, but instead, against my control, I had started getting ready for bed, and fallen asleep. It was the last thing I had wanted to do, but it was the only thing I could do.

I got dressed quickly, before opening the curtains on my bed, glad that I had remembered to draw them even in the dreamlike state I had been in. The last thing I needed was for Hermione, Parvati, Lavender, or Romilda to the marks on my stomach and the clamps on my nipples.

I wanted to go find him, I needed to explain about last night. But what could I say? I wasn't able to tell him about the dreams. I certainly couldn't tell him that I had been ordered to go to sleep earlier, that my body went against my own attempts to stay awake, and obeyed it despite my best efforts.

I wanted desperately to be held in his arms, and for him to tell me everything was going to be okay. It didn't matter that it was a blatant lie. I just needed to hear it, and he was the only one I might believe, even for a moment.

He looked relieved when I came into the spare room. I had run straight there after I had finished breakfast, but he had managed to beat me there. I was afraid that he wouldn't be here, or that he'd be angry. But the look of relief on his face tugged at my heart.

"Thank Merlin you're here." He said, walking over to me and wrapping me up in his arms. I wanted to break down and cry on his shoulder, but instead I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. "Why didn't you come?" He asked, not pulling away.

I wanted to tell him, oh everything. I wanted to tell him about the dreams, about the commands that I couldn't control. I wanted him to protect me. There had to be a way, didn't there? I wouldn't know, but he might. His father was one of _his_ chief death eaters, after all. Maybe he might know something, some idea as to how this is happening, and what he might be able to do to stop it.

But when I tried to tell him, to confide in him, there was nothing. My mouth opened and shut, and I couldn't say anything. Despite my best attempts, before I knew it I was against his chest again, sobbing. He froze for a moment, and I knew that he had no idea what to do. After what felt like an age, he relaxed some, and wrapped his arms around me again. His hand started to caress my head, brushing my hair away from my face, and holding me against him.

For a long while we just stood there, as I cried against him. He didn't talk, or try to ask me what was wrong again. He didn't try to do anything like Dean would have, no trying to kiss me, he just let me be, which is exactly what I needed.

"Hey, are you going to be okay?" He asked, as the time started ticking closer to when we had to go to our first class. "Do you want to go to the hospital wing?" I couldn't help but smile at his concern. I still remember, not too long ago, when he would have sent me to the hospital wing a far different way.

"No, I'll be fine." I said, finally managing to drag myself away from him. "I will." I wiped the tears from my eyes, and looked at his shirt. "I think you should go change." I smiled up at him, and hiccuped.

"It's just a shirt." He brushed off, though I couldn't help but think about how not too long ago he'd have cared more about that shirt than he would have cared about me.

"It's not that." I said. "I mean..." I hiccuped again, as I tried to find the best way to explain what I meant. "It's just... You're you. We might be... But we can't..." I was having a really hard time trying to explain it. Part of me wanted desperately to just go on, let the world see that he had a caring side, that he let a girl cry against his chest, and didn't bother changing his shirt. But I knew too well that he wouldn't. Not normally. The Draco Malfoy everyone knew and hated would rather be perfectly dressed, and pressed, than care about another person's feelings.

"Oh." He said, looking at his shirt again. "I suppose you're right." I could tell it hurt him, to be pretending to be something that he wasn't. Except, I couldn't help feeling that no, that is what he was. Or, what he used to be. What made me so special? Why was I the only one he showed this tender side to. Not that I was complaining.

"Don't worry." I said, knowing exactly what he was thinking. I pressed my hand against his chest, right above his heart. "I know, that's all that matters." He smiled, and leaned over, kissing my forehead gently.

"You're right." He said again, which made me smile.

"Get used to it." I said, shoving him playfully. "Now, go get changed. We can talk after..." It was the best I could offer. No, I couldn't tell him what was going on, what was wrong. But I could find a decent lie... Couldn't I? I'd have all day to think of one. If worse came to worse, I could simply distract him. Just sitting on the desk, watching him leave, thinking about his kisses was distracting me. I hoped he managed to get to his dormitory and change his shirt without anyone noticing. That would have a lot of awkward questions, I was sure.

I made my way to charms, sitting behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry and Ron were whispering about something, and Hermione seemed unimpressed, mostly ignoring them, and working on the spell that was written on the board. She was already the best in the year at silent spells. I wasn't far behind her, with Ron bringing up the other end, being the worst in the year.

Draco wasn't far behind me. I was glad that he wasn't late, and offered him a smile when I knew the three in front of us weren't looking. He smiled back, when he'd passed them, again so they couldn't see. It saddened me that we had to do this, hide what we felt from my best friends, and brother. Even Luna. I wanted to tell her, as much as I wanted to tell Draco about my dreams. I only held back because I couldn't know. I loved Luna, she was a great friend, and I know she'd never tell anyone deliberately. But she was all too likely to write an article about it in The Quibbler, or to let it slip by accident.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about before?" His voice was low, intended for my ears only. That didn't mean someone else couldn't hear us. I looked around, and started chewing on my lower lip until I was sure no one had.

"Later." I hissed through my teeth, my voice still low. He seemed startled, and I regretted my animosity. "Just... later, okay?" I reached my hand across to his under the table and gave it a soft squeeze, before letting go quickly to grab my wand when Flitwick came around to see how we were going.

The day passed slowly. It felt like everyone's eyes were on me, that everyone was constantly asking me if I was okay. Really, though, in the end, it was only Draco. He asked me in every class, until I wanted to shout at him. I liked him, I really did, but his constant asking if I was okay was getting on my nerves.

Finally, we left ancient runes, and headed to our study room. When he closed the door behind us, I almost expected him to wrap me up in his arms again, and kiss me. I expected some kind of contact, even for him to just grab my arm. What I wasn't expecting was the sudden coldness, as he walked away from me, and sat on the table. I frowned, and walked closer to him, but he held up his hands.

"No." He said, a look on his face that told me just how hard it was for him to refuse any kind of contact that I wanted. "Tell me what's up." He said. I winced at the coldness in his voice, and shifted uncomfortably. Over the course of the day I hadn't been able to think of any convincing lie. And he obviously wasn't going to let me get close enough to distract him properly. I sighed, and moved closer to him. He was still, and I saw that he watched me. He looked like he was going to jump up and move if I got too close to him, so I stopped.

"I can't tell you." I said, deciding on the truth. "I wish I could, but I can't." I wondered how much I could tell him. Now that I'd started talking, it seemed like more words were pouring out, almost without my thinking. "I physically can't. I open my mouth to say something, but it doesn't come out." I wanted to throw myself at him then, make him hold me, but I didn't need to. He pulled me to him, and kissed my forehead.

"I'm sorry." He said, and I knew he meant it. "I am. I won't pry." Smiling at him, I wiped away the tears that had been threatening to spill again. I reached up and kissed him, enjoying the sensation of his lips on mine, the electricity that thrilled through me that had never been present between me and Dean, or me and Michael.

He kissed me back just as passionately, and for a long time it was just us standing there, kissing. Finally, the hour that we usually spent in the study room together was up, and I knew that we needed to leave. "Meet me in the prefects bathroom in an hour?" I asked. He looked into my eyes, and for a heart breaking moment I thought he wasn't going to believe me. "I'll be there, I promise." He smiled, and nodded.

"I'll be there." He leaned down, and planted a soft kiss on my lips. "See you soon." With that tender thought, and the memory of the sweet taste of his lips against mine, I headed to the Gryffindor common room, so I could put in an appearance before going to the prefects bathroom. As I walked, I wondered about the unlikeliness of this plan of ours working long term.

If we spent all of our time in the room, when we were supposed to be studying, kissing, or more... We would never be able to get our homework and assignments done.

**A/N: **Okay, okay, I have probably got a few more chapters to go on this. (I've got three and a half more written already) So hopefully I can actually finish it. Then, I'm going to move back into Thou Shalt Not Suffer A Witch - for those fans who like my other works :3 I've decided I'm just going to stick to one thing at a time for the moment :3


	29. Bathtime

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Ice**

I wasn't sure what to expect. Why did she want to meet in the prefects bathroom? Was she expecting anything? As much as I loved that idea, I couldn't imagine it, not with her. She was so innocent.

My heart ached at the idea that her dreams had started up again. And she couldn't tell me about them. I knew that what she'd said this afternoon had been the truth. As much as it would have hurt me, I would have held out on hugging, and kissing her until she had opened up. I knew that what was between us wouldn't work at all if there wasn't honesty. It was going to be difficult enough as it was.

As soon as I made it to the Slytherin common room, I found Blaise, in the sixth year boys dormitory. Pansy was in the middle of giving Crabbe head, though not nearly as into it as when she saw me walk in. All of a sudden, it was as though Crabbe's dick was made out of candy. She seemed entirely too excited just giving him head, and I knew that it was for my benefit. Not that I cared.

"Come on." I said, rolling my eyes at the disgusting display the whore was putting on. I turned around, and Blaise promptly followed me, which I was thankful for. I led him to my room, and he sunk down on my bed.

"Dude, she's totally out of line." He said. "She keeps trying to hit me up, but she's quite happy to settle for Crabe, Goyle, and literally anyone else in the school when I say no. And we both know who it is that she's really trying to hurt here." I laughed.

"Yeah, she's doing such a great job. I couldn't care less." He grinned at me, and sat up straight.

"Okay, so, why did you want to talk to me?" He asked.

"Have you had a chance to talk to her?" He coughed, and I rolled my eyes. "Really, another makeout session?"

"I tried. I really did. But she kinda just grabbed me. I only had a chance to get away when Professor Flitwick found us." I gave a low whistle.

"Really? Flitwich? What did he do?" I asked. Blaise grinned.

"Nothing. Actually, he just said that the classroom we were in was off limits after school hours, and we needed to move somewhere else. I was shocked." I laughed.

"Wow, I'd rather get caught by him than Snape." I told him about Snape catching Ginny and I kissing, and what he'd said when we were alone.

"_What in Merlin's name do you think you were just doing?" He asked, slamming the door behind us so hard it bounced back a few inches, not shutting. I rolled my eyes._

"_None of your business, that's what." I snapped back. "What the hell are you doing bothering me anyway? In case you haven't noticed, I'm doing a fine job by myself."_

"_You're under suspicion, and you almost just got caught trying to... what? Another cursed necklace? Do you have any idea how close to being found out you are?"_

"_I can handle this on my own. I don't need any of your help." _

"_If you really think you're doing fine, what kind of display was it you were putting on out there?" I leaned against an empty desk and ignored him. He sighed, as though I was exasperating him. "You have no idea what you're getting into." I rolled my eyes again._

"_Like I said, it's none of your business." I glared at him. _

"_Do you actually have feelings for that girl?" He raised his eyebrow, obviously surprised. My silence must have answered his question. "Look, I know what it's like." He said, sighing. "But you can't. Not like this. You can't be with her." I shoved him away from me, and glared at him._

"_What do you know?" I demanded. "How the hell would you know what it's like?" I shoved him again. "You know nothing about me. Get it? _Nothing._ You'd better stay the hell away from me, or you're going to regret it." I spun around, and stormed off, only to run into Potter. _

"You know he's not that bad." Blaise said.

"As what, a person, or a death eater?" I scoffed. "Where is she?" I asked.

"Who?" Blaise blinked, obviously confused by my question.

"Luna." I clarified.

"I don't know. Probably the bloody Ravenclaw tower." He shrugged. "She actually ran off pretty quickly when Flitwick caught us." He blushed, and I wondered if he'd wanted to stay with her longer.

"Just great." I sighed.

I beat her there, and for a moment I was worried, worried that she wouldn't make it again. But I put my thoughts aside. No. She'd promised. She would make it. I set the bath up again, with milk, and honey, and calming potion, hoping that maybe it would help her. If she showed up.

Once again, I disrobed, and slipped into the water. Rather than sitting and waiting for her, this time I decided to start swimming. She would come. She had to. But sitting and waiting wasn't going to do my mind any good.

Eventually, she did come, and despite my assurance that she would, I felt a wave of relief wash over me when I saw her red hair at the door. She smiled at me, before turning to the door and muttering a locking spell. I raised my eyebrows, and she flushed.

"Don't want anyone walking in on us." She said, as she walked over towards me. I made my way to the edge, and sat down under the water. She sat down on the bench for a moment, fingering one of the fluffy towels laying on it.

"You only now thought of locking the door to stop people walking in?" I asked, and she smiled, before shrugging.

"Well, yeah." She said. "I don't know why." She shrugged again, before sighing. "Turn around." She asked. I obeyed, not wanting to do anything against her wishes. I didn't want to scare her off for the world.

While my back was towards her, I heard the soft sound of clothes hitting the floor, before I felt the ripples that spread out towards me to let me know she had entered the water. Instead of turning around straight away, I waited. After a moment, I felt her breasts against my back, and her chin on my shoulder.

"I'm really sorry I didn't make it yesterday." She said, her mouth close to my ear. The feeling of her breath against my neck and ear sent a shiver down my spine, and I wanted to groan deep in my throat. "I did try.. I just..." She stopped, and without her needing to say so I knew that whatever she had been about to say, to explain, she couldn't. Whatever he had done to her, he had made sure she wouldn't be able to get any more help.

But he hadn't planned on me being here.

"It's okay." I said. She moved backwards slightly, giving me room to turn around, and wrap an arm around her shoulder, holding her close to me. For a while that was all we needed. It was remarkably pleasant. Such simple contact. I never would have imagined that just being close to someone would have my dick throbbing, and my heart racing. And then, we started talking.

Small things. We talked about our childhoods. While I wanted to spare her the worst of mine, I didn't want to lie to her. So I told her the truth. The whole truth. The truth no one else but Blaise knew.

She was shocked by the cruelty of my father, and she promised me that he would pay. That made me smile. I had long ago given up hoping that he would pay for what he had done. It didn't even matter to me now whether he did or not, and I wouldn't love Ginny any less if she did, or if she didn't. But just hearing that from her, her absolute surety that she was going to make him pay for what he had done to me, for what he had done to my mother, it made my heart hurt in an entirely unfamiliar way.

It started to grow late, and we knew that we were out after hours. Not that it mattered. We'd spent almost every night out after hours last term. Or, I had, at least. She had, too, to start. If we did get caught, we had a legitimate reason to be out here at this time of night, after all. We were both prefects, and the bathroom was for our use whenever we wanted to use it.

After talking about our childhoods, we lapsed into a silence. It wasn't because we didn't want to talk, or had nothing else to talk about. It was simply because we didn't need to talk. She leaned against me, and I could tell that she was getting tired. She looked like she was about to fall asleep, and I kissed her forehead. Part of me wanted to make sure she went to sleep. I wanted her to have a good nights sleep, to get well rested. The other part of me wanted to make sure she stayed awake. I didn't want her to go back to him in her dreams.

"Draco?" Her voice sounded like honey when she said my name. I had almost thought that she'd dozed off, leaning against me.

"Mmmm?" I asked, feeling utterly content. She pushed away from me, and looked into my eyes.

"Could I please sleep with you tonight?" She asked. At first I was shocked. What had happened to the lovely innocent girl who had told me just yesterday that she was a virgin? She smiled at the odd look that must have crossed my face. "Not like that. I mean actually sleep." I couldn't say no to her.

She wrapped herself up in a bath robe, and seemed almost asleep on her feet. Knowing the likelihood of us running into anyone on our way to the Slytherin common room, I picked her up, and carried her there, along with the bundles that were our clothes. She waited outside for a moment, while I checked that everyone was in bed. Sure that we wouldn't be observed, I carried her through the common room, and into mine.

I laid her down on my king sized four poster bed, and got changed into my pyjamas. She seemed to fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, barely conscious as she nestled herself into my blankets. I couldn't help but smile, as I carefully took off her bathrobe.

I noticed her suddenly shaved pussy and frowned. That was different. Why had she decided to shave it? Had she been expecting something else tonight? I lifted her arms and legs carefully, and tugged a spare set of pyjamas over her sleeping body. She was out like a light. I just wished that she didn't have any bad dreams.

With that in mind, I crept into bed, and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned back against me, as though somehow taking comfort from my being here with her, even in her sleep, and let out a soft sigh. Smiling, I kissed the back of her head, covered in bright red hair, and settled down comfortably, falling asleep within moments, as I held her in my arms.

**A/N: **Everyone boo my computer. Stupid thing decided to stop working one day and then it deleted half a chapter I was working on T_T -boos laptop-


	30. A Good Night's Sleep

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Fire**

"_Where are you?" I could feel him searching for me, but somehow I was shielded from him. I was wearing an invisibility cloak, and he couldn't see me, though I could see him. _

"_Hey, you're okay." I smiled at Draco. We were sitting on his bed, and I realised I was in my pyjamas. I could have been embarrassed, and I felt like I should have been, but I wasn't. I felt incredibly comfortable._

"_Yes, I am." I whispered, and we hugged each other. "Tell me about Blaise?" I asked. I'd heard the way he'd talked about the other boy, when he'd talked about his childhood. He smiled at my question, and started telling me all about his best friend, his hand slowly travelling up and down my left arm as he held me to him. His hand and body were so cool, and the feeling of his skin on mine was deliciously strange._

"_We need to wake up." He said, finally, when I felt like I knew everything about Blaise, the best friend of the man I... I thought I loved. And the crush of my best friend._

"Morning, sleepy head." I blinked my eyes open, and saw him lying in front of me, smiling at me.

"Morning." I managed, and stretched happily. I'd had the best nights sleep I could remember, even better than when I'd had no dreams at all. I still remember my dream, vividly. Draco had been there, and we'd been sitting on his bed.

"I had a great dream last night." He whispered. "Just you and me, sitting here, and talking." I smiled, it sounded remarkably like my dream, and I was glad that he thought it was a good dream.

"I think I had the same dream." I murmured, not sure why we were keeping our voices down, but feeling it somehow added to how intimate it was between us. He smiled at me, and inched forward slightly to kiss my lips softly. I smiled against his lips before kissing him back. "I should go soon." I said, thinking about my dormitory, and how Hermione would probably be freaking out.

"I know." He sighed, and sat up. I did the same and looked down, surprised to see I was wearing a matching pair of his pyjamas, and even more surprised at how well they fit me. I stood up, and looked down, noticing that the pants were only slightly too long, and that apart from that they fit me as if they were made for me. I hadn't thought Draco and I were near the same size, but I must have put some steady weight back on when I hadn't been dreaming. And he wasn't particularly big to start off with, slender, with some muscles underneath, a seekers physique.

"What's wrong?" He asked, when I frowned.

"I don't remember getting changed." He blushed, and I realised that he must have dressed me. It was my turn to blush at the thought of that. "Oh." I said. He cleared his throat, and stood up.

"Okay, well, as nice as it would be to carry you out, or simply walk out with you on my arm, I know it's far from simple." He stood up, and walked towards a wardrobe I hadn't noticed before. I watched him as he opened it, and reached in. He soon brought out a silvery cloak. It wasn't the same as Harry's cloak. There was just something... different about it, though I couldn't tell what.

"The very best quality." He said, as he handed it to me. "And, your clothes." He picked them up from the bedside table, where he must have put them last night, after our bath. I smiled at him, and wrapped the cloak around me, leaving only my head free.

"I'll see you in class." I said, giving him a soft kiss. He smiled as I pulled away, and he tugged the hood over my hair.

"See you then." He said. I walked to the door, and I could feel his eyes watching where I was as I opened and closed the door. Before long, I'd made my way out of the Slytherin common room, and I was walking up to the Gryffindor tower. No one was in the common room, thankfully, and it was easy to slip up to the sixth year dormitory.

I slipped into my bed, closing the curtains, relieved that no one was awake yet. Quickly, I took the cloak off, and changed out of the comfortable silk green and silver pyjamas, before changing into my old school clothes and robes.

Slipping my shoes on, I opened my curtains, in time to see Hermione opening hers. She smiled at me.

"You must have had a good bath last night." She said. I smiled, and hoped to Merlin I wasn't blushing.

"Yeah, it was a good one." I said.

"Must have been, you were gone pretty late." I just nodded, and smiled again. After that, we walked down to the Great Hall together. I felt a pair of grey eyes on me, and smiled to myself as I ate some bacon and eggs. For the first time in about a week I was eating because I wanted to eat, not because I felt I was being forced to eat.

The day went by quickly, until finally we had some time together again. We were in the empty classroom, and we just sat together, and talked. It was lovely. I enjoyed the change in tone, from making out very passionately, to just sitting and talking. And the best part was... he wasn't trying to pressure me to do anything that I wasn't ready for.

We met in the prefects bathroom again, and this time, instead of talking, we just kissed, our naked bodies pressed together under the milky water. I could feel every inch of his body, including his hard member, pressing against my hip. I knew that he wanted to do more, and I did too. I just, couldn't.

With Dean, I think at least part of it had been that I didn't feel the same as I did with Draco. With Draco, there was something else there, something real between us. I guess part of me had always known that I wasn't meant to be with Dean, and I'd held off of anything because of that.

But I still couldn't make that final plunge. It wasn't that I didn't think what was between us was real, or that I thought it was going to fade. No, I knew it was real, and here. And I was sure we were both going to do our very best to make it last, even if we had to hide it forever. But, no. One day we needed to come out. And we would. It was because my dreams were too real. Not the dream we had last night, though that had been very real. The dreams with _him._ I wanted them to just be dreams, but waking up with the clamps on my nipples, and my mound completely hairless...

They were something more than just dreams. And there was nothing I could do about that. Somehow, last night, _he_ hadn't been there. Instead it had been a wonderful dream, and Draco had been there with me.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed again?" He offered. I'd brought the invisibility cloak with me, to return to him, but instead, I ended up wrapping myself in it as he led me to the Slytherin common room once again. This time, I was walking.

I was wearing the same pair of pyjamas I had last night, and once again I was surprised by just how comfortable they were, and how perfect they fit. Draco even suggested that I adjust the hem of the pants, so they did fit perfectly. At first I didn't want to, they were his, I couldn't ask him to give them to me. But he insisted, so I did.

We cuddled in his bed, something that I'd never been able to do with Dean or Michael. That Draco had his own room, and a king sized bed, was still amazing for me. I had never thought it was possible. But, then, he explained that technically the room belonged to Snape, as the head of Slytherin. That his father had paid Snape a fair amount of money, and called in a favour. Snape vacated the room, and took one of the other teacher rooms that was available within the castle. There were always a few spare ones.

The bed was his own, or at least, it hadn't been Snape's. His father had bought it, and paid for it to be set up in his son's new room.

"Come on, you should get some sleep." He said. I sighed, and leaned against him, enjoying the feeling of his lean body against mine. He kissed my forehead, and I grumbled.

"I don't want to." I said, though I could feel myself falling asleep against my wishes.

"_You can't hide like this forever."_

"_You're here again." I smiled and leaned into Draco's open arms._

"_I am." I said, nestling into him, rejoicing in the feeling of rightness that I somehow got whenever I was in his arms._

"_Tell me about Luna?" This time it was his turn to ask me about my best friend. I smiled, and told him everything about my best friend. _

"_Dear," He said, finally, after we'd both been silent for a while. "You have to wake up." I grumbled, complaining, not wanting to wreck this spell, but despite my wishes, I opened my eyes._

To look into his grey ones. I smiled, and for a moment was sure the dream hadn't ended.

"Good morning." He said, a smile on his lips, as he leaned forward and planted a kiss on my forehead. If someone had told me last year that Draco was the kind of man to kiss the girl he loved's forehead, I would have laughed in their face. No, Draco hadn't been anything like that then. Then, he had been the cold, hard son of Lucius Malfoy. Now? He was melting. Not in a bad way. And I realised, that it wasn't that he was changing. It had been a cover An ice cold cover, intended to keep people from getting close to him, from getting hurt.

No, even before we started getting close, he wanted to be a healer. I could hear it in his voice, when he talked about his childhood. He wanted to be a healer, and help people. What his father was... That was something he never wanted to be. It thrilled me, inside, to no end, made my heart beat faster, to think that he let his mask slip for me. That I was the one who got to see the real him, the real Draco Malfoy. Not the son of a death eater, and a future death eater himself.

Not the cold boy, who hated muggles, and mudbloods. No, that had never been him. It had been a mask, for his fathers sake, so he would never think to question his sons loyalty. No, now I knew the boy who had been beaten. Who had watched his mother being beaten, and would do anything, and everything, to stop it from happening again.

I threw his invisibility cloak over me, and made my way to the Gryffindor tower, common room, and the sixth year girls dormitory, which my bed had moved to over the holidays.

Hermione and I headed down to the Great Hall together again, and once more I felt his eyes on me, which made me smile as I ate. We had another spare period today, and I was looking forward to it.

**A/N:** So I rewrote the chapter that I lost. I can never get it the same, which always bugs me. Sometimes I think I come up with such great ideas in my first writing, that it's actually really sad to see them just disappear into the ether because my laptop decided to hate me. T_T Anywho, thanks to my reviewers, and especially to Beth who still likes my stuff even though I was horrible and didn't do any posting for forever.


	31. Poison

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Ice**

The next few weeks could easily be described as the best of my life. The only times we were apart were when we ate, and when we spent time with out other friends. Blaise and Luna were still going strong, though from what I can tell they hadn't managed to talk all that much. Which did bug me. For a couple of reasons. Firstly, Ginny and I seemed to talk a lot. Sure, there was plenty of making out, and she had been sleeping in my bed every night, after which I've had amazing dreams of the same thing again. But there was also a lot of talking. Which made me realise how little I really knew her.

I learned how many times she'd sneaked out at night, to go riding on her brothers' (or Potter's) brooms. I learned why she was so good at potions, how she'd always helped her mother with cooking, and with potions, along with other household chores. She knew more household spells than I thought could possibly exist. She knew at least four that just swept the floor.

And I told her more about my life. Part of me wanted to spare her. I didn't want her to experience what I had, even if it were only through my telling her. But, she was amazingly brave. And, in her words, it wasn't like I was subjecting her to my father's torment. I learned why she wanted to be a healer. How her Mother had wanted to be a healer at one point, but got pregnant with her oldest brother – Bill – and found her true vocation as a mother. She told me all about her siblings. And I told her about the other side of life at the Malfoy Mansion. I told her about the horses, and the staff. Those nicer members of staff, who, when I was younger, used to claim clumsiness, and take my beatings for me. And those nastier members of staff who proved that they were lying, and caused everyone to be beaten.

And I wanted to know everything about her. She was no longer the annoying girl who was good at hexes, and curses, particularly good at inflicting them on me. And I was no longer the cold, aloof rich boy, who didn't care about those beneath him. Finally, it was as though we knew everything about each other, and I loved everything about her. I loved the oddly star shaped scar on her right knee, from when she'd broken it, falling off a rather dangerous height that she'd been flying at.

I loved the way her nose wrinkled when she got angry. Her nostrils flared, her eyes crinkled, and I could see what spell she wanted to cast in her eyes. Her bat bogey hex was a speciality, and she returned to it often, though she was nothing if not creative.

The only thing I didn't enjoy about those few weeks, were the times we weren't together. Even those times in class. We worked together, but we had to keep up pretences. When she had the chance, she worked with, or sat next to Harry, Ron, or Hermione, as would have been expected only last term.

Herbology was one of the hardest, though. Neville worked so close to us, it was impossible to talk, or briefly touch each other. In most classes I'd hold her hand under the table when I got the chance. Or I'd give her knee a gentle squeeze, let her know that I was there, as if she didn't already.

One thing I realised was that we were both hyper aware of each other. When I entered a room late, I noticed her suddenly relaxed state. She went from stiff shoulders, worried, tense, to relaxed, without even seeing me enter the room. And the same thing happened for me. I could have been blind, but I felt I would be able to describe the exact way she stood, and where in the room she was.

I found myself smiling more than I had in a long time. All because of her. I'd never thought I could be so happy. Part of me wanted desperately to warn Dumbledore of the mead. I wanted to beg him. He had to be able to do something. There had to be something, some way that we could be together. I wanted to walk up to Potter, and tell him everything I knew. Tell him where _he_ was, tell him what his movements were, what his plans were. Maybe...

But I couldn't. Any more than I could send my Father a letter with the truth, get him to convince _him_ not to do anything more to Ginny. That's what the other part of me wanted to do. Tell Father and Voldemort what the situation was, and we could be together in that side of my life.

Though, more and more, I hated that side of my life. I could never stand against it, I knew that. It was once that I would never have risked my own skin. Now? I wouldn't risk hers. If I stood against them, and they knew why... There was no telling what they would do to her. Though no doubt they'd work harder to infiltrate her dreams, and that would only be the tip of the iceberg. No, I couldn't risk it.

And then, her brother had to go get poisoned. I couldn't believe the news at first. She arrived in my bedroom, bawling, and desperately babbling. I could barely understand her. Finally I heard something about a love spell, poison, and a bezoar.

"Calm down, sweet, tell me what happened." I wrapped my arms around her, and for a moment she just sobbed on my shoulder, before taking a few deep, shuddering breaths to calm herself down. I walked her to my bed, and we sat down.

"Ron ate some chocolates laced with love potion." She said, her voice a lot clearer now that she didn't feel the need to rush her words out. I raised an eyebrow.

"Who would want him to fall in love with them?" I asked. She punched me on the arm, but managed to smile, which was what I had been aiming for.

"Romilda Vane." I raised my eyebrow again. "But, they weren't meant for Ron. They were meant for Harry. Hermione's said Romilda's been obsessing over Harry for months. Well, years, really, but more so after... After Voldemort came out." She gulped, and I knew what it cost her to say his name. I rubbed her arm comfortingly, and she took another deep breath. "She even asked me what his favourite chocolates were. I didn't think anything of it, but..." She sighed, and I knew she was blaming herself.

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault." I said, holding her close to me. "She could have gotten that information from anyone. And you weren't to know what she wanted them for." She nodded, though I was sure she still thought she should have known something was up. "What happened next?" I asked, intending to distract her from her current lane of thought. It worked.

"Well, Harry took Ron to Slughorn. He cured him, and then poured them all a glass of mead, something to comfort Ron after the love potion. Only..." She obviously couldn't continue, but she didn't need to. They'd gone to Slughorn. Who had poured them some mead. Some mead that I had tampered with. I froze, and she must have noticed something.

"What's wrong?" She asked, frowning, and pulling away from me, taking me in.

"It's... my fault." I hadn't intended to say it out loud. And once it was there, hanging in between us, I wanted desperately to take it back. Because I knew, if I said the truth now, if I told her I had poisoned that bottle of mead... There could be no moving on with us from there. How could there be? She loved her brother. And she loved the old, doddering man who the poison had been meant for. There was nothing I could do, or say, to make her understand where I came from.

She laughed. "How could it be your fault? Did you provide Romilda with the love potion?" I shook my head, and looked away. Anywhere but her. Anywhere but at her chocolate eyes, so full of emotion, of love, of trust.

"No... I put the poison in the mead." She stared at me for a long time, and I knew what she was thinking She was weighing up the likelihood that I would lie about something like that, to stop her from blaming herself. And finally, she came to the right conclusion. That, no, I wouldn't.

I don't know what I was expecting. I was expecting her to ask why, or how. Expecting her to jump up, and storm off. Run away from me, never speak to me again. And as much as that would kill me inside, I'd know... I'd know that I deserved it.

The last thing I was expecting was for her to wrap her arms around me and start crying on my shoulder.

"Oh, Draco." She sobbed. She didn't ask me anything. Not why I did it, now how I could do something like that. She just held me, and as she did, my heart melted, and I came up with what could easily turn into either the best, or the worst decision of my life.

**A/N: **I'm nearly out of stored chapters! I'll have to get back to the actual writing. I'm surprised how well I've been keeping up actually writing (Well, considering. I mean, I've actually been writing maybe a chapter a week, sometimes two, sometimes one chapter over two weeks. But I'm back at uni, so of course I can't speed demon chapters out like I can on holidays. But at least I'm keeping up with it :3 Definitely hoping I can finish it this time (I know, I know, I say this every time, but it's a big thing for me)) Hope you guys enjoyed, hugs and love to reviewers, you make me want to write (and post) more. In other news, a friend of mine has done up a cover for me, so I can put that on soon (I feel like I'm too excited for this).


	32. A Plan

**Disclaimer: **The usual drill. I don't own any of it. The characters I just like to borrow and bend to my will on occasion. The setting is part of the marvellous world someone else created. And even some of the plot points never belonged to me, but are borrowed, and worked around.

**Fire**

Draco had come up with a plan, but I wouldn't let him go through with it. He wanted to go to Dumbledore, and ask him to be let in to 12 Grimmauld Place, where we could hide out to stay safe. I told him how stupid this was. All of the order could go there, for one. Everyone there would hate him, and not trust him. Even if Dumbledore trusted him, there'd be members of the order who wouldn't. Even if it were just the trio, the rest of the order would be unlikely to trust him. And then there was the fact that if Draco failed... Someone was going to kill Dumbledore anyway. Draco had told me that there was a death eater waiting for him to fail too badly, and Dumbledore would die anyway. I knew that if Dumbledore died, everyone who had ever been to 12 Grimmauld Place would become a secret keeper. And that was too risky.

Draco eventually listened to me, and gave up on his idiotic plan. That left me with one freaked out boyfriend, two friends starting to get suspicious, and a brother in the hospital wing, because my boyfriend poisoned him by accident. Well, among all the other stuff, like how my boyfriend has to kill Dumbledore, or be killed by Voldemort. And then of course there was school. It was almost impossible to imagine school as a big priority any more. I used to love it, and I really worked hard – which was why I'd gotten this opportunity, how I'd started to spend so much time with Draco in the first place. And now I couldn't care less.

I chewed on my lip as I paced in Draco's room. He was on the Quidditch pitch, playing against Ravenclaw. He thought I was in the stands watching him, but I couldn't bear to be out there. I couldn't bear to sit next to my friends, and my brother, and cheer for Ravenclaw outwardly, while I secretly cheered for Slytherin to win. I couldn't bear all that noise. I needed quiet. I needed to think.

Because I needed to come up with a plan. Draco wasn't thinking clearly, so I needed to pick up the slack. He'd come up with some really good plans before. His plans to kill Dumbledore, the necklace, the poison that was a gift from Slughorn. Ultimately, they'd failed, but they had been brilliant ideas, exactly what I would have expected from him. He was the one who always thought things through. I was the one who usually acted impulsively. But lately... I'd been thinking things through.

I didn't know where to start, I didn't have much of a base to start on. There wasn't much I could use to my advantage. Well, that's how I started out thinking. Through process of elimination, and looking at my friends as resources, instead of friends... I started slowly to work out a plan. And in my mind, it was a good one. But before I could act it out, there was something important I needed to do.

I was nervous as I paced up and down in his room. I'd spent all of my nights here now, sleeping in his arms. I always had the best night sleeps, particularly since I always dreamed about him. And in my dreams we talked, we kissed, and sometimes we just lay together, holding each other close.

I gave up my pacing finally, when the quidditch match should have been over. I wondered if Draco had won, while I waited for him to come. I knew he would. He would go to the Great Hall, whether he'd won or lost, and when he couldn't find me at the Gryffindor table, he would excuse himself and come down.

I sat down on his bed, and chewed on my lip nervously as I thought of what was ahead of me. My plan wasn't fool proof. There were so many things that could go wrong. But I knew it was better than Draco's plan. That didn't make me any less nervous about enacting my plan. But I couldn't do it yet.

Draco arrived, as I knew he would. He opened the door, out of breath, and looked around for me, a worried look on his face until he saw me. He strode across the floor of the room towards me and sat down next to me, wrapping me in his arms as he rested his forehead against mine.

"You weren't at the Great Hall." He said. I shook my head. I wouldn't have been able to work up the nerve I required to do what I needed to do if I'd been up there amongst my friends, and family, and all that noise. "I thought..." He trailed off. I knew what he thought. He thought I might have passed out somewhere, unconscious, where I was stuck in that dream world, where _he_ was raping me.

"No, I'm okay." I kissed his cheek, a fluttering in my heart as I thought about how worried he was about me. For a long time we just sat there, with his arms around me. After a while, he pulled away slightly, and kissed my forehead.

"Draco..." I said, pulling away from him after his lips lingered on my forehead for a while, as I tried to pull my nerves up from deep in the depths of myself. Instead of saying anything else, not knowing how to say it, I pulled away, and pulled off the robe I had been wearing. Underneath it, I was completely naked.

Draco had seen me naked before, when he'd rescued me from drowning, and before, when he'd changed me into his spare pyjamas. But while I'd been conscious, we'd never gone more than him seeing me in my bra. I chewed on my lip as I watched him, nervously, wondering how he'd react.

His eyes widened, and he licked his lips for a moment as he took me in, before his eyes returned back to mine, an act that made me feel like my heart was melting, and my skin was on fire. He could have done what I imagined most guys would, he could have stared at my body, at my breasts, at the hairless mound between my legs. But instead he looked into my eyes.

"I love you, and I'm ready." I said, finally finding my tongue. He didn't say anything, only leaned forward, and kissed me passionately once again.

**A/N: **Sorry for the shortish chapter. I'm all caught up with my pre-written chapters, and uni's starting to get pretty full on so it might be a while between chapters now, but I shall continue! Thanks to all my reviewers, lots of hugs and cookies and milk and ice cream and anything you want :3


End file.
